The Los Angeles Lakers have been busy this offseason, but Rob Pelinka and company are always looking for ways to improve. So far this offseason, they have signed Montrezl Harrell and Wesley Matthews in free agency and acquire Dennis Schroder via trade. Now, they could be looking to add Trevor Ariza.
According to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Lakers would be interested in adding Ariza if he becomes a free agent. Right now, he is under contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Him sticking with the Thunder long-term seems fairly unlikely.
In addition to Ariza, the report also mentioned that George Hill could be of interest to the Lakers.
The Lakers are monitoring Oklahoma City’s Trevor Ariza should he become free, sources say. As of now, both Ariza and George Hill are expected to begin the season on the Thunder roster. There is also interest in Hill’s services around the league.
Last season split between the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings, Ariza ended up averaging 8.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. With the Trail Blazers, he found a much better role. In Portland, he averaged 11 points and shot 40 percent from the three-point line.
Even at 35 years old, Ariza is still more than capable of making a positive impact on a playoff team. With the Lakers, he would be able to provide depth and perimeter shooting when his number is called.
Arizona has a history with the Lakers. He played a year and a half with the franchise back in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. Since then, the Lakers have been rumored to have interest in bringing him back on multiple occasions.
Keep an eye on the Thunder with their veteran pieces. They are going to look to flip them for draft assets ahead of the NBA trade deadline. If that does not end up working, they could very well simply release them.
Expect to see the Lakers show strong interest in Trevor Ariza if he becomes available. He certainly would be a good fit for Los Angeles.
