After acquiring Trevor Ariza in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Miami Heat have officially cleared Ariza to make his Heat debut against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
Trevor Ariza
Ariza, a 17-year NBA veteran, will play for his 10th NBA team on Friday night. The 35-year-old always wanted to play for Miami.
“It’s funny because I think the Heat was one of my first workouts when I was a rookie 17 years ago and I always wanted to play for this franchise. It’s just some place that I always wanted to be. Most of my family is here. It’s exciting, man. I’m just ready to go out on the court and lace them up.”
This marked Ariza’s first comments since the trade. Trevor hasn’t played in an NBA game since March, 10, 2020, but admits he’s “extremely anxious” to get back on the court. He also stated that “this is a place that I definitely wanted to be.”
Ariza was born in Miami, and has been working out in South Florida during his one-year absence from the NBA.
The 6’8 SF/SG has played in 1064 career games, including 102 playoff games. The veteran has averaged 10.5 PPG, 2.2 APG, and 4.8 RPG during his long career, in which he has been traded 11 times, an NBA record.
Jimmy Butler on Trevor Ariza: “He’s what the Miami Heat organization and players is about. Hard-nosed, plays defense, make shots, get everybody involved. Team-first type of guy. He backs down from no challenge, no matter who you are. He plays the passing lanes, can rebound.”