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The Washington Wizards have acquired veteran forward Trevor Ariza in a trade with the Phoenix Suns.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Suns will receive Kelly Oubre Jr. and Austin Rivers in exchange for Ariza.
The deal ends one of the strangest NBA trade sagas in recent memory.
Wojnarowski reported on Friday night the Wizards, Suns and Memphis Grizzlies initially agreed to a three-team deal. In that scenario, Ariza would go to Washington, Oubre would go to Memphis, and Rivers, Wayne Selden and a third player would go to Phoenix.
The trade fell apart because the Suns and Grizzlies were unable to agree on whether MarShon Brooks or Dillon Brooks would be dealt to Phoenix.
Ariza was in his first season with Phoenix after signing a one-year deal in the offseason. As one of the most experienced players on the roster, he has played significant minutes (34.0 per game) while averaging 9.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Despite his modest numbers this season, he has proved his value in the past.
The 33-year-old spent the past four seasons as a key part of the Houston Rockets rotation, averaging 12.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game to go with quality play on the defensive end.
He also brings loads of experience to his new team, including 15 NBA seasons and 102 playoff games, and championship pedigree for his 2009 title with the Lakers.
Marc Stein of the New York Times first reported in early December that Ariza was considered a top trade target once he was made available. Teams were hoping the Suns would just buy him out, per Stein, but Phoenix held out until it could get something in return.
The Lakers were one of the teams interested in trading for him, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported.
But Los Angeles couldn’t figure out a deal that worked for everyone, allowing the Wizards to swoop in and land a player who can provide depth at forward while helping out on both ends of the court.
Although he isn’t a game-changing talent, he can be a key piece down the stretch.
He could step right into the starting lineup in favor of Tomas Satoransky as Washington continues to seek more consistency around John Wall and Bradley Beal following its 11-18 start to the campaign.
Meanwhile, Phoenix will hope this move can help the rebuild, which has gone slower than anticipated. Ariza’s departure will also clear playing time for younger players going forward, such as Mikal Bridges and Josh Jackson.
The Suns were able to get rid of a player who likely wasn’t going to re-sign with them after this season for another player with an expiring contract (Rivers) and a still-improving young player (Oubre).
Rivers has been an asset as a point guard off the bench throughout his NBA career. He’s averaging 7.2 points per game, though his 39.2 shooting percentage is his lowest since he was a rookie in 2012-13.
Oubre is making $3.2 million this season and could enter restricted free agent after the campaign ends. The 23-year-old is averaging a career-high 12.9 points per game and is hitting 43.3 percent of his shot attempts.
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