If someone asks anyone in the NBA who doesn't dare buy a house, the answers will be too numerous to count. After all, many players don't earn as much as we think. Trevo Ariza, however, is different, and he may be the only player in the NBA who is afraid to buy a house because of money — on March 18, 2021, the Thunder sent Trevo Ariza to the Heat in exchange for Meyers Leonard and a second-round pick for 2027. This is also the 11th time in Ariza's career that he has been traded, setting an NBA record.
When he was in college, Ariza studied at the prestigious UCLA, but his statistics were not eye-catching - 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists, such data is destined to be difficult to have a decent pick. In the 2004 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks selected him with the 43rd overall pick in the second round.
In the first two years of his career, Ariza, although his performance was mediocre, he also gained a foothold in the league. In February 2006, he was sent to the Orlando Magic as a bargaining chip in exchange for Francis. But even here, he is still only the second choice in the team's small forward position. It wasn't until 2007, when Ariza was sent to the Lakers, that his career finally began to take a turn for the better.
On Kobe's side, Ariza had only one thing to do – defend. Occasionally show off the buckle and make the audience scream. In the 2009 Finals, Ariza performed well, averaging 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game, becoming the grandfather of 3D players. And the Rockets also took a fancy to his talent, a five-year fat offer worth $33.95 million, which brought him to Houston.
It is clear that the post-"Yao Mai era" rockets are in urgent need of a core, and Ariza has become this candidate like a duck on the shelves. Although Ariza could score a career-high 14.9 points in the 09-10 season, his shooting percentage was only a pitiful 39.4%. And domestic fans also gave him a nickname - Tieza. In just one season, Ariza was dropped by the Rockets for the New Orleans Hornets, later the Pelicans.
After two years of wasp fighting, Ariza was back at wizards. Here he scored a career-high 40 points to help his team reach the playoffs. Technology and mentality are also honed more mature. At this time, the Rockets happened to need to fill the gap in the front line, so Ariza and the Houstonians, who became free agents, hit it off, and it was another 4-year long contract to return to Space City.
In these four years, Ariza has done everything he can, but the Warriors are too strong for Ariza and the Rockets to cross the chasm. So in the summer of 2018, Ariza, who had already tasted the taste of the championship, chose to consider his life and signed a contract with phoenix suns, becoming a life winner with an annual salary of tens of millions.
However, before playing a season, Ariza was once again sent back to the Wizards. After the contract ended, he switched to the Kings, and after just 32 games, he was sent to the Blazers. Then before the Blazers bench was hot, it was sent back to the Rockets again, which can be described as three in and three out. Then the Pistons, then the Thunder, and finally, as you saw today, he was sent to the Miami Heat.
So you say Ariza is really weak? No, he's one of the league's best championship puzzles. That's why the Heat chose to trade him. Although the years have left many traces on Ariza's body, his lateral movement is no longer as rapid as it was then. But his experience on the defensive end will be the perfect weapon in the playoffs. The Heat's defensive strategy is to focus on protecting the interior and putting pressure on players without the ball. I believe Ariza can be perfectly integrated into the Heat's defensive system to help Miami go further in the playoffs.
And imagine Butler, Iguodala, Ariza... Such a forward defense, is not fragrant?