Getty Trevor Ariza
The trade between the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards for Trevor Ariza seemingly came out of left field. But apparently, there was a reason it seemed to be that way. While Ariza was originally linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, that was a deal the Suns seemingly had no interest in. So much so, that they actually refused to deal him to the Lakers.
As The Athletic’s David Aldridge revealed, Suns owner Robert Sarver was adamant that he would not send Ariza to the Lakers.
Per source, Suns owner Robert Sarver was adamant that he would not send Trevor Ariza to the Lakers, so Phoenix pivoted to other options. Wizards desperate for toughness/defensive grit, and would have had difficulty re-signing Oubre next summer.
That is an eye-opening comment, and it makes things incredibly interesting. For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who broke the original trade, revealed things took quite a turn shortly after. According to his report, the Suns were unaware of which player they were receiving (between MarShon Brooks and Dillon Brooks), so the deal may not even happen.
Update
The end result of all of the back-and-forth led to a final outcome of the trade completely falling apart, per Wojnarowski.
The deal is dead, league source tells ESPN.
So, it seems Ariza is back with the Suns and the Lakers may attempt to continue their push for the forward, as it’s apparent Phoenix is open to making a deal. But per the above report, it’s far more likely that another team manages to strike a deal if the Suns remain firm on their stance of not sending him to Los Angeles.
Original Trevor Ariza Three-Team Trade
Although the deal wound up falling apart, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed the original terms (with the exception of the Brooks confusion). It featured Ariza going to the Wizards, Kelly Oubre to the Memphis Grizzlies and Austin Rivers, MarShon/Dillon Brooks and Wayne Selden heading to the Suns.
Clarify: MarShon Brooks, not Dillon.
We’ll update this story if the original deal comes back together or another trade works out. As things stand, it seems that there will be nothing further on these specific talks.
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