HOUSTON — The sun had yet to rise but Trevor Ariza was set to board a plane from Houston to Los Angeles with a game ball resting at his hip. In the Washington Wizards’ final game before the all-star break last season, Ariza had an experience that was both gratifying and grating: He connected on a franchise-record 10 three-pointers and nearly led his team to a thrilling comeback win against the Rockets before he fouled out on a controversial call that allowed James Harden to score the final three points in just four seconds.
Harden literally rubbed in the win afterward, giving Ariza a hug and burrowing his scraggly beard in Ariza’s chest before they separated. Ariza hadn’t slept by the time he was in line at airport security for an early morning flight back to his preferred coast, to spend time with family and friends.
The game ball was a reward for a performance that Ariza felt was another example of his importance to a Wizards team that would make surprising run to the second round of the playoffs. Turned out, it was the moment that put Ariza back on the radar for a return to Houston.
Advertisement
“I did think I was going to be” with the Wizards, Ariza said after a practice at Toyota Center with the Rockets last week. “I thought they valued the things that I did there. At the end of the day, it didn’t work out.”
The Wizards stated that bringing back Ariza was one of their top two priorities entering free agency — Marcin Gortat was the other. They even sent Coach Randy Wittman and Vice President of Player Programs Ed Tapscott to the Ritz-Carlton in Beverly Hills to make an emotional pitch to woo him on the first night of the recruiting period. At the conclusion of the meeting, Ariza was certain that he would stay in Washington — until the two sides discussed contract figures and the business side didn’t match up with all of the previous sweet talk.
Ariza eventually spurned the Wizards and accepted a contract for the same financial terms — four years for $32 million — with the Rockets, the same team that signed him to his first big free agent deal in 2009. Since Texas doesn’t tax income, Ariza will collect slightly more money than by staying in Washington, but was there really a difference?
“It’s a big difference,” Ariza said, voice raising. “I don’t really want to get into that part of it. I’m here in Houston. I’m happy to be here. I can’t complain about anything that happened to me.
“It was extremely tough to leave Washington,” Ariza continued. “Especially with the chemistry that we built, players getting better over there. My family and the players, our families became really close. That was tough, I ain’t going to lie. But sometimes, things don’t always go the way they’re supposed to go, so for me, I sort of feel like that’s the story of my life. But it is what it is. I don’t have any bad things to say or any ill feelings about anything. I’ve just got to move on.”
Advertisement
A reunion with Houston and General Manager Daryl Morey seemed far fetched entering the summer because the Rockets dealt him after just one season, continuing a vagabond 10-year career for a player who has never spent more than two seasons with the same team. But the Rockets were looking to regroup after missing out on fellow free agents Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh and still needing to add a perimeter defender, which led them to back Ariza.
The signing also allowed the Rockets to decline matching a three-year, $45 million qualifying offer that Chandler Parsons signed with Dallas. Coming off a career rejuvenation, Ariza didn’t have a problem reuniting with a team that had little patience in letting him develop during his first brief stint.
“I thought I was going to be a Wizard for a long time, but when that didn’t happen they definitely pursued me the hardest,” Ariza, 30, said of the Rockets. “Everything happens for a reason. It’s a business. So sometimes, teams make business decisions and you’ve got to live with that. I grew up in this league, obviously, I was 19 [when he was drafted]. So I’ve matured. So in life, I moreso understand the business of things and accept it.”
Advertisement
Ariza said his two years with the Wizards helped him grow as a player and a person by forcing him to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation with a rebuilding team.
“We went through a whole lot in Washington, from winning 28, 29 games to going to the second round of the playoffs in two years. That was a tough time and a great time as well. Early, like my first year, it was really tough, because to be honest with you, I didn’t want to be there.”
The Wizards were aware of Ariza’s unhappiness in his first season with the team and attempted to meet a trade request by sending him to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Caron Butler. But before he could pack his bags, former Clippers owner Donald Sterling rejected the proposal. Ariza had no choice but to stick around and pick up his $7.7 million option to play one more year in Washington.
Advertisement
“I had to realize that that’s where I was, that’s where I was going to be and, if I’m going to be there, I’m going to do something constructive. I’m going to help people and I’m going to make an impact,” Ariza said. “I just started talking to the players, trying to find out who they were as people, not just basketball players and it just grew from there. Everything started to click, just like that, once I had an open mind to it. It was great and it was fun. DC has become one of my favorite places in America.”
Ariza was responsible for organizing a pivotal players-only meeting after the team got off to a 2-7 start. He also helped improve team camaraderie by planning gatherings and dinners on the road.
Taking on such a role was unusual and initially uncomfortable for Ariza, who had never been the older, seasoned veteran on a team. But John Wall credited Ariza with providing him the confidence to step up as a leader. Bradley Beal said he learned a lot in his two years playing with Ariza.
Advertisement
“I can’t take any credit for anything that they’ve done. They did all that,” Ariza said, when asked about the role he played in the development of the Wizards’ young backcourt. “They wanted to get better. They wanted to become superstar players, which I think that they are. All the credit goes to them. I had nothing to do with anything. I just was there with them. I worked with them on the court but everything they’ve done, they’ve accomplished on their own.”
Wall and Beal will take their next steps without Ariza but the Wizards didn’t waste any time finding his replacement in Paul Pierce. Pierce, a likely Hall of Famer, agreed to a two-year deal worth $10.8 million that allowed the Wizards to maintain the financial flexibility needed to make a possible run at Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016.
“To get a special player like that, they definitely did a good job,” Ariza said of Pierce.
Advertisement
Harden admitted he made a recruiting pitch to get Ariza on a team that also features three-time defensive player of the year Dwight Howard.
“That’s one of my guys from L.A.,” Harden said. “Another veteran guy who adds championship experience. He’s a very good defender. He shoots the ball well. Some of the things that we were lacking and needed. He’s going to be a great fit for our team.”
The Rockets are a much different team than the one Ariza left behind. Harden and Howard have replaced Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming as the all-stars in residence. Kevin McHale is calling the plays instead of Rick Adelman and is excited about having Ariza around.
“Trevor knows how to play,” McHale said. “He makes shots, moves the ball, doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He is just very comfortable with who he is and what he does. In our league, once you get comfortable with who you are, you become the best player you can be and not try to do things you don’t do well. He knows what he does well and knows what he doesn’t do well. He just does what he does well. It’s very solid.”
Advertisement
Ariza is adjusting to a new system but not a new city. He learned from his previous experience in Houston that downtown is a more convenient place to reside than out in suburban Sugarland. He also has started to connect with his new teammates. After a recent practice, Ariza joked with Patrick Beverly and wrapped his arm around second-year guard Isaiah Cannon to thank him for surrendering No. 1 to a vet.
“I don’t feel like I’m starting over,” Ariza said. “I feel like a young player coming up again, honestly. Because it’s still a learning curve that I have to understand. We’re still putting things together and we’re learning together as a group. So, I feel like I have room to grow.”
And though he expected to be in Washington at the start of July, Ariza feels like he’s where he belongs. “Back on the West. It’s closer to home for me, so,” Ariza said with shrug.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLumw9JoqqmnoqnAcMPPaGlpaWRkfnF7j3BmoaelqMGwuoyrppyjlanAbsDRnq2oql2Wv6rGwGagrWWnlsBusdetqZ6llaHGbsDOrp6hZaSkeq2xwK%2BcZq%2BRqLWqusatpqdn