Trevor Ariza wanted to re-sign with the Houston Rockets in free agency over the summer, but Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told the veteran swingman it probably wasn’t going to happen.
Morey and the Rockets let Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute walk in free agency because they didn’t want to go deep into the luxury tax to keep them. Ariza signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Phoenix Suns. He was recently traded to the Washington Wizards.
Trevor Ariza tells @SportsRadio610 that he expected to remain with the Rockets last summer, but that changed when Rockets GM Daryl Morey told him “that we don’t think it’s gonna happen” at the beginning of the free agency process.
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) December 20, 2018
More from Ariza: “I believe my efforts deserved a shot (to return), but it is what it is. I’m not complaining about anything.
When asked if Daryl Morey gave him a reason why the Rockets weren’t bringing him back Ariza said “He doesn’t need a reason, it just didn’t happen”
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) December 20, 2018
Both Trevor Ariza and the Rockets would probably like a do-over. Houston misses Ariza’s 3-point shooting and defense, while the 33-year-old hasn’t been on a winning team all year. The Suns had the worst record in the NBA and the Wizards are a walking disaster in the Eastern Conference.
Ariza played well with Houston last season. He averaged 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Rockets had the best record in the NBA last year and were a game away from reaching the NBA Finals. Houston lost to the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
Trevor Ariza and the Wizards got blown out by the Rockets on Wednesday, losing by a final score of 136-118. Ariza finished with 15 points in his return to Houston.
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