The Phoenix Suns today signed forward and 14-year NBA veteran Trevor Ariza.
“We are excited to have Trevor join the Suns franchise,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “Trevor is a talented two-way player who will bring defensive versatility, shooting and leadership to our organization. He has played a big role on a lot of successful teams and we think he will have a tremendous impact on our club, both on and off of the court.”
Ariza (pronounced A-Ree-Zah) is a veteran leader and proven winner who possesses nine years and 102 games of playoff experience in his 14 NBA seasons, including an NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009. An ideal ‘3-And-D’ wing known for his shooting ability and defensive versatility, Ariza has averaged at least 2.0 three-point makes and 1.5 steals in each of the last five seasons—the only other NBA players to average these amounts or better in each of the past five seasons are Stephen Curry and James Harden.
The 6-8, 215-pound forward joins the Suns after playing the last four seasons with Houston, where he twice helped the Rockets reach the Western Conference Finals while averaging 12.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 three-pointers and 1.8 steals in 310 games. In 2017-18, Ariza made a career-high 2.5 three-pointers per game and shot a career-best 85.4 percent from the free throw line to help Houston win a franchise record 65 games.
For his career, the 33-year-old has averaged 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 35.3 percent from three-point range in 942 games with six teams: New York (2004-2006), Orlando (2006-2007), the L.A. Lakers (2007-2009), Houston (2009-10; 2014-2018), New Orleans (2010-2012) and Washington (2012-2014). Ariza ranks 42nd in NBA history with 1,313 career three-pointers made and 52nd with 1,424 career steal
In his 102 career playoff appearances (90 starts), Ariza has averaged 10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 36.7 percent from three-point range. He has been a member of four teams that have reached the Conference Finals and won a combined 13 playoff series, twice reaching the NBA Finals with the Lakers, including a title in 2009. During the Lakers’ 2009 postseason run, he started all 23 playoff games and led the team with 40 three-point makes on just 84 attempts (47.6 percent). Ariza ranks tied for 27th in NBA history with 162 career three-pointers in the playoffs.
Originally selected with the 43rd overall selection of the 2004 NBA Draft by the Knicks, Ariza joined the NBA following one season at UCLA. Born in Miami, he attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles before attending UCLA. One of Ariza’s childhood basketball idols was former Suns guard Penny Hardaway.