Los Angeles Lakers: 3 way-too-early midseason buyout candidates
By Jason Reed
Trevor Ariza
Trevor Ariza has bounced around the league, literally. Ariza is playing for his 10th team in his 16-year NBA career as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Way back in 2007, Ariza joined the Lakers and played a key role in the team winning the 2009 NBA Finals.
The reason why he has bounced around the league is because of the skillset he possesses. He is a plus defender with a decent shooting stroke that can defend other wings. While he is no longer the level of player that he once was, he does still fit that player mold.
He, like any of the other players on this list, is not going to significantly move the needle for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, he could serve as a decent-enough bench wing defender, especially if the experiment of having Kyle Kuzma essentially be a wing off the bench does not work.
Ariza played pretty well once he became a member of the Portland Trail Blazers last season. He started 21 games in Portland, averaging 11 points, 4.8 rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 40 percent from deep.
Ariza was sent to Oklahoma City as part of the Robert Covington trade and I would be very shocked if he was not bought out this season. While his $12.5 million salary is manageable to swing in a trade, I just don’t see a team offering the kind of capital that the Thunder will want, which we know is a first-round pick, in return for Ariza.
He is a prime candidate to be bought out and could be a decent addition to the Lakers’ bench.