Phoenix Suns’ Trevor Ariza cracks SI’s Top 100 Players list

The Phoenix Suns kicked off their 2018 free agency by signing veteran small forward Trevor Ariza to a one-year, $15 million contract, securing a proven veteran presence to pair with their young core.

Ariza, a 14-year veteran, has played across six NBA franchises and won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009.

Coming off of another productive year in Houston, Ariza earned a spot at No. 77 on Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 Players of 2019 List for his ability to transform the game on both sides of the floor.

“It’s easy to bag on Ariza considering how his season ended, but one bad shooting night doesn’t undo all that came before. Ariza (11.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG) was one of the most important players to one of the NBA’s best teams. In the Western Conference finals alone, he was Houston’s best chance of challenging Kevin Durant—a counter to Golden State’s reluctant isolations. Throughout the year, it was Ariza’s defense that gave the Rockets their elasticity. Tucker may have been the point of differentiation from big lineups to small ones, but Ariza was the constant between them.”

Ariza is coming off of one of the most efficient seasons of his career. The 33-year-old shot 36.8 percent from behind the arc on a career-high tying 6.9 attempts per game. He finished with the second-highest effective field goal percentage of his career at 54.2 percent and limited his turnovers to only 0.8 per game.

Throwing Ariza into the mix is a step in the right direction for the Suns, who ranked dead last in Defensive Rating at 110.6 in the 2017-2018 season. Head coach Igor Kokoškov has another seasoned veteran on the team to help teach the young core in Phoenix.

While Phoenix’s acquisition of the 6-foot-8 swing-man was considered questionable by some critics, his contributions to Houston have been vastly overlooked. When analyzing Ariza’s overall value to a team, one must consider the versatility his presence creates both offensively and defensively. Over the course of his career, Ariza has proven himself as a solid complimentary scorer with the ability to guard multiple positions on the wing.

General manager Ryan McDonough secured a quality starter on a one-year deal, which maintained some financial flexibility for next summer while taking a step forward on both sides of the ball.

Rotations haven’t been determined yet, but Ariza is a contender to start at small forward for the Suns. If this is the case, Ariza could be a valuable 3-and-D player on the perimeter in Phoenix.