The Suns and Wizards got a deal done — no, really this time.
After a three-team trade with the Grizzlies fell apart late Friday night over confusion about whether Dillon Brooks or MarShon Brooks would be included, Phoenix and Washington reached a new agreement Saturday. The Suns will send Trevor Ariza to the Wizards in exchange for Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers. The trade call is scheduled for Monday, so hopefully there are no additional name games before the league makes it official.
TRADE RUMORS: Lakers loading up for Anthony Davis?
Now that we have real player movement, what does this trade mean for both sides?
Trevor Ariza trade grades
Wizards receive: Trevor Ariza
Suns receive: Kelly Oubre, Austin Rivers
Wizards: C-
Ariza is still a valuable 3-and-D guy. He is a 35.3 percent 3-point shooter for his career, and he's hovering right around that mark this season (36.0 percent). There are fair concerns about his effectiveness at age 33, but working with John Wall and Bradley Beal is much different than trying to win games with whatever the Suns had left after Devin Booker got hurt.
With Wall and Beal creating off the dribble, Ariza can spot up and take high-quality attempts.
MORE: Wizards can transform roster, but biggest problem sits above players
Over the last 5 seasons, the only player to make more corner threes than Trevor Ariza (405) is Klay Thompson (434), according to Second Spectrum.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 15, 2018
The Wizards rank 27th in 3-pt FG% (32.8) despite attempting the 11th-most 3-pt FG per game (32.7) this season. https://t.co/sgGpGATH5s
The biggest positive Ariza brings to the Wizards is veteran leadership and a strong presence in the locker room. There has been an abundance of drama surrounding Washington, a 12-18 team woefully underperforming based on its talent. (Remember that heated practice?) Ariza has a strong relationship with Wall and will command the respect of his teammates.
That all sounds nice in theory, but how much can Ariza really change in Washington? He's a role player on an expiring contract, and he doesn't immediately push the Wizards back into the playoff picture, let alone the upper tier of the Eastern Conference.
This all comes back to incompetence at the top of the organization. Of course the initial deal was a mess, but Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld has made puzzling decisions for years, and owner Ted Leonsis doesn't seem to care. Washington probably couldn't have afforded to keep Oubre, a restricted free agent next summer, but re-signing Ariza should be easier. The cap situation is hovering over all the team's decisions.
Perhaps Ariza helps push Washington to 40-plus wins and a first-round exit. It's not great — but it's very Wizards.
Suns: C+
The Suns didn't take a huge risk in signing Ariza to a one-year, $15 million deal last offseason. Either he would help change the culture and point the youngsters in the right direction, or he would net assets on the trade market ahead of the February deadline.
Phoenix took the latter route, but it was a bit surprising to see how quickly the Suns accepted Washington's offer. There was clearly a sizable market for Ariza's services. Could the Suns have waited it out a bit longer to drive up the asking price?
As for what the Suns did acquire, Oubre and Rivers aren't bad pieces for a team in the middle of a massive rebuild.
MORE: Deandre Ayton addresses verbal confrontation with Devin Booker
Oubre is just 23 years old and has busted out for the occasional big scoring game this season, but he is still an unreliable outside shooter (31.1 percent from 3-point range) and poor playmaker (0.7 assists per game). The Suns already have T.J. Warren, Mikal Bridges and Josh Jackson on the wing, which presents head coach Igor Kokoskov with some tough decisions.
Rivers is best suited coming off the bench, but he is an immediate upgrade at guard for the Suns. He should be able to take some of the offensive pressure off Booker, and it wouldn't be a shock to see them share significant minutes, especially in crunch time.
However, Rivers isn't the long-term answer at point guard, and Oubre could easily end up being one of those "breakout year" guys who never actually breaks out. How this trade is ultimately measured could come down to what Oubre becomes.
The absurdity of the process means Suns owner Robert Sarver is no better than Leonsis or Grunfeld here. He fired former general manager Ryan McDonough right before the season. A more experienced GM might have been able to squeeze more out of another trade suitor.
Then again, should anyone be shocked? With the Suns and Wizards involved, dysfunction is standard.
