The Trail Blazers have reportedly made the first real move of the NBA trade season.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Trail Blazers are sending Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two future second-round picks to Sacramento in exchange for Trevor Ariza, Caleb Swanigan and Wenyen Gabriel...
Ariza, a 6-8 forward in his 16th season out of UCLA, is averaging 6.0 points on 39 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from three, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 24.7 minutes per game this season for the Kings. After being a full-time starter for the majority of his career, Ariza has come off the bench in all 32 appearances with the Kings this season, though it’s safe to assume that, much like Carmelo Anthony, he steps into the starting lineup upon arrival in Portland.
Caleb Swanigan, a 6-9 forward out of Purdue who was selected by the Trail Blazers in the 2017 NBA Draft and played in 45 games before being traded to Sacramento for Skal Labissiere at the 2019 trade deadline, has appeared in just 10 games with the Kings. Undrafted rookie forward Wenyen Gabriel is averaging 5.5 minutes in 11 appearances this season.
While Ariza gives the Trail Blazers more of a traditional small forward to pair with Carmelo Anthony, the primary purpose for the deal seems to be clearing some money off of Portland's books...
And according to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the Trail Blazers get a couple of trade exceptions due to sending out more salary than they're taking back. It also sounds like it'll take a couple of days for the deal to be finalized...
The deal brings to a close the relatively short tenures of Bazemore and Tolliver in Portland. While both comported themselves admirably, both were thrust into roles this season due to injuries that neither was likely cut out for at this point in their respective careers. Both ended up playing out of position, with Bazemore starting at small forward and Tolliver playing backup (and on occasion, starting) center. and both were in the last year of their respective contracts. Best of luck to both.