NBA Trade Update: Ex-Lakers Star Breaks Rare Record With New Deal

Trevor Ariza has set a new NBA record after being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The offseason has been a wild journey for the veteran forward as he is now headed to his fourth team this week. After the Portland Trail Blazers sent him to the Houston Rockets along with two first-round picks, the Toyota Center-based franchise quickly rerouted him to the Detroit Pistons together with a first-round pick.

Now, Ariza has joined the Thunder as part of a three-team trade involving the Pistons and Dallas Mavericks, ESPN reported.

The move to OKC was the third trade this week involving Ariza, who has played for numerous teams throughout his 16-year NBA career. The Thunder became his 10th NBA team, making him the league’s most traded player of all time.

Prior to Ariza’s claiming of the rare NBA record, it was previously held by Dale Ellis, Chris Gatling, Billy Owens, and Don MacLean, who were all traded eight times during their NBA career.

Ariza is best known for being a role player and versatility. At 6-foot-8, he also makes a great one-on-one defender.

The Miami native had his best season in 2009-10 with the Rockets, when he averaged almost 15 points per game. However, it was with the Los Angeles Lakers where he copped his first NBA title alongside his mentor Kobe Bryant.

In August, the 35-year-old recalled how his late former teammate honed him to become the player he is today.

“Kobe [Bryant] was the one who totally changed my perspective of the game,” Ariza said of his time with the Lakers legend via Jackie MacMullan of ESPN.

“Kobe’s the one that showed me how to pay attention to angles, to footwork, to the nuances that can take you a long way in situations like that,” he added. “He broke down the game differently than anyone I’ve ever seen.”