On Monday, Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans became the first player to officially sidestep the bubble experience in Orlando and he might have broken the dam.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday, citing sources, that veteran forward Trevor Ariza has also decided against traveling to Disney World in early July, but his reasoning is much more complex than Bertans’ impending free agency.
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Ariza, who is in a custody case over his son, has chosen to step away from the restart to spend a month with the 12-year-old.
The 34-year-old forward signed a two-year, $25 million contract with the Sacramento Kings in the summer of 2019. After struggling through the early part of the season, general manager Vlade Divac traded Ariza to the Portland Trail Blazers, along with Wenyen Gabriel and Caleb Swanigan, for Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver at the trade deadline.
After moving to Portland, Ariza stepped into the starting lineup for the Blazers and helped solidify their rotation. In 21 starts, Ariza averaged 11 points, 4.8 rebounds and shot 40 percent from long range in 33.4 minutes per game.
Portland is in a virtual tie with both the Kings and New Orleans Pelicans for ninth place in the Western Conference standings. All three teams trail the Memphis Grizzlies by three and half games for the No. 8 seed.
NBA
Losing Ariza is a huge blow for the Blazers, although beginning on Tuesday, they’ll have an opportunity to fill his roster spot as the NBA opens a short free agency period from June 23-30.
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Portland will regain the services of big men Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic during the restart. Collins played just three games before injuring his shoulder early in the season. Nurkic has yet to suit up after a catastrophic leg injury last season.
With Ariza out of the picture, the Blazers will be in the market for wing depth. According to a league source, the Kings are set to take one option off the table with the signing of free agent Corey Brewer to fill out their final roster spot.