NBA Report - Ariza to the Rockets Makes McGrady Expendable

I think Trevor Ariza got the adage, “If you can’t beat them, join ‘em” a little backwards. Instead, he joined a team that he helped vanquish in the NBA playoffs last year by verbally committing to the Houston Rockets. The mind-boggling thing about this trade for me is that Ariza is one of the most coveted free-agents out there. He’s long, athletic, a pressure player and a team guy. Ariza is signing a multi-year deal worth $33.5 million, and he’ll earn the mid-level exception.

What’s crazy about this signing is not Ariza leaving L.A. (although that still boggles my mind), it’s that Ariza was the guy that Houston wanted. They just lost one of their go-to guys, and replaced him with a buy who averaged just 8.9 points in 24.4 minutes last season. Ariza is hardly proven as a premier scorer, or player for that fact, so why take the chance with guys like Rasheed Wallace on the market?

Of course it was Ariza’s playoff performance that secured him as one of the most valuable assets on the market. He averaged 11.0 points in starter minutes against Orlando, but you have to take in to consideration that Kobe and Gasol did the majority of the leg work. Ariza came up with big plays at big moments, and shot .497 percent from the field, as well as .476 percent from the three-point line. Given his skill set, he could be a go-to guy in Houston.

This signing doesn’t necessarily guarantee it, but it provides the Rockets a chance to deal Tracy McGrady, perhaps the most disappointing superstar in the NBA. McGrady played just 35 games last season and averaged 15.6 points. While teams will likely want him, McGrady is going to be the highest paid player in the league at $23.2 million next year, just a bit more than Kobe. The Rockets will undoubtedly receive a lot of low-ball offers for the former All-Star, but with Ariza in the fold, they can now take some chances in the trade market.