Trevor Ariza has found himself tied up in the Los Angeles Lakers rumors mill.
The Los Angeles Lakers front office did a fantastic job of bolstering the roster in the offseason and improving a title-winning team. Rob Pelinka’s work is not yet finished, though, as part of the championship-winning formula is preparing and signing the right bought out players.
Just ask Markieff Morris. Morris posted the fourth-highest playoff three-point percentage (with at least 60 shots) in Lakers history by shooting 42 percent. Bought out players, if it is the right player, can be huge to winning a championship.
The Lakers are potentially already eyeballing number three shooter on that three-point percentage list, Trevor Ariza, as a potential buyout candidate.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Lakers are monitoring Ariza’s situation if he were to be bought out by the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. Thus far nothing has happened but we can almost be certain that he is indeed bought out.
The Thunder are going to be one of the worst teams in the Western Conference this season and Ariza’s contract is too much to really see them working out a trade with any contender that will bring value to the Thunder.
Maybe they can try and do what they did with the 76ers and Al Horford and take on a large contract and some draft picks to provide long-term salary relief for the other team. However, there really are not that many contracts in the league that I can see a team willing to give up picks for.
Thus, I think it is not a matter of if but simply a matter of when the Oklahoma City Thunder buy out Trevor Ariza. Once that happens, his name will instantly re-surface back in the Los Angeles Lakers rumors.
When that does happen, here are some reasons for and against the Lakers pursuing Ariza.