NBA Rumors: Trevor Ariza and the Charlotte Hornets?
There is no doubt the Charlotte Hornets are looking for an upgrade on the wing.
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They were one of the most improved teams in basketball and would like to take another step forward by adding a few solid offensive players, especially shooters.
According to Rick Bonnell and Ben Weinrib of The Charlotte Observer, Washington Wizards’ forward Trevor Ariza would be an excellent fit with the Hornets.
"He’s solid as both a scorer and defender at small forward. He’s coming off his best of 10 seasons as a pro, having averaged 14.6 points on 46 percent shooting on a Washington team that won a playoff round. If the Hornets go after him, they’ll have competition; the Wizards want to retain him for sure……Ariza has always been known as a defensive stopper (1.6 steals per game), but he took his offensive game to the next level, shooting a career-high 40.7 percent from three……Ariza mostly plays small forward, although he can also play shooting guard. Assuming he keeps up his shooting from last season and doesn’t revert to his 34.7 percent career three-point percentage, he would be a valuable asset as another shooter."
The Wizards, who would like to keep their group together (unless of course they can find away to land a big-time player like Minnesota Timberwolves’ star power forward Kevin Love) and re-sign Ariza, but center Marcin Gortat is also set to become a free agent, will reportedly be their priority. That could cause Ariza to move on.
Ariza averaged 14.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season. He shot 45.6% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc.