The Miami Heat were in serious discussions with the Sacramento Kings to acquire veteran small forward Trevor Ariza before the Kings traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Seth Partnow of The Athletic.
The Heat don't necessarily have to make a trade since they are in second place in the Eastern Conference standings, but it looks like president Pat Riley was doing his usual due diligence:
I have been told by credible sources that Miami was in serious discussions with Sacramento about acquiring Trevor Ariza before he was ultimately dealt to Portland, though if I was aiming for a deep playoff run, I’d be aiming significantly higher than where Ariza is at this point in his career.
Ariza played in 32 games this season for the Kings. He averaged 6.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 38.8 percent from the field, 35.2 percent from beyond the arc and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line.
The Blazers will start Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Ariza, Carmelo Anthony and Hassan Whiteside for the rest of the season.
The Heat missed the playoffs last season, but with Jimmy Butler in the fold, Miami is well on its way to making the postseason this year.
Butler is one of the best two-way players in the game. He’s averaging 20.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game this season for the Heat while shooting 44.0 percent from the field, 26.3 percent from beyond the arc and 82.9 percent from the free-throw line.
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