PORTLAND, OREGON – FEBRUARY 09: Trevor Ariza #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
Why does no one want to hold on to Trevor Ariza?
Trevor Ariza has carved out a lengthy playing career in the NBA due to his perimeter defense and quality stroke from deep. Despite a player profile that is becoming increasingly trendy in the modern NBA, Ariza just can’t seem to find a permanent home, as he has now been traded more times than any player in league history.
After Ariza was officially dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Detroit Pistons, it marked the 10th time in his career that he has been traded elsewhere. The great Dale Ellis was the previous record-holder, as he had been traded eight times.
Trevor Ariza has been traded three times in this offseason alone
Ariza started this offseason in Portland, but he was sent back to the Houston Rockets, where he starred for several seasons, in the Robert Covington deal. Ariza didn’t stay in Houston for long, as he was offloaded to Detroit in the sign-and-trade for Christian Wood. Finally, Detroit flipped him to Oklahoma City in a deal that sent James Johnson to Dallas.
Even though Ariza just turned 35 years old, he still has plenty to bring to the table. 8.0 points per game along with 4.6 rebounds per contest show that he hasn’t lost the traits that made him a valued tertiary star in Houston, and his defense remains exemplary.
Ariza’s ability to guard multiple positions on defense and hit threes consistently will guarantee him a role in the NBA until he decides to hang it up. However, that same skillset makes him a valuable trade commodity, as teams from all around the league want to pick up a cheap veteran defender like him. Hopefully, he earns one more trade to a contender, both to compete for a title and pad his record.