Trevor Ariza, cleared to make Heat debut, explains why he fits and how he can help
Trevor Ariza has moved around a lot during his NBA career.
The Miami Heat is Ariza’s 10th different team in his 17 NBA seasons. He has also been traded 11 times, the most by any player in NBA history.
Because of that, Ariza has had to adjust to a lot of different systems and schemes through the years. But the 35-year-old veteran forward doesn’t believe the adjustment will be drastic with the Heat.
“I just feel like it matches my style of person. Period,” Ariza said of the Heat in advance of Friday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers at AmericanAirlines Arena. “I work hard, extremely hard worker. What you see is what you get. I’m not going to beat around the bush about anything. I think that’s pretty much what the Heat have shown.”
It marked Ariza’s first comments to the media since the Heat acquired him via trade Wednesday with the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Meyers Leonard and a 2027 second-round pick.
Ariza has been cleared and will be available to make his Heat debut on Friday against the Pacers. He began participating in the NBA’s COVID-19 testing protocols in advance of the trade, which allowed him to be available to play just a few days after the deal.
“This is a place that I definitely wanted to be,” Ariza said of the Heat. “Whatever the coach needs me to do, I’m more than willing to do. I’m willing to run through a wall for my teammates, for organizations that I play for. So whatever is asked of me, I try to do.”
Ariza has not played in an NBA game since March 10, 2020, as he opted out of playing in the NBA’s Walt Disney World bubble last season as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers and has been away from the Thunder this season. But he made it clear that he’s “100 percent ready to play if coach wants me to play.”
Ariza, who will wear No. 0 with the Heat, has been working out in South Florida to remain in shape during his one-year NBA hiatus.
“Everything that I would do throughout a regular season to try to stay in shape,” Ariza said when asked what he has been doing to stay in basketball shape. “The good thing for me is I have a lot of experience going through NBA seasons. Obviously not playing in NBA games, or being in NBA practices you can’t duplicate. But [South Florida-based basketball trainer Stanley Remy] definitely has prepared me to be as close as I possibly can to be prepared to play an NBA game.”
Veteran forward Andre Iguodala was in a similar situation when he was traded to the Heat on Feb. 6 2020. It had been almost eight months since the then-36-year-old Iguodala last played in an NBA game, and he was on the court three days later to play 23 minutes on Feb. 9.
Ariza admits he’s “extremely anxious” to play in his first NBA game in a little more than a year.
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t,” he said. “I’m excited. I’ve definitely prepared to be in this situation to play. But, you know, you never know until you get out there. What I do know is I’m going to give absolute 100 percent effort any time I’m on the court. So that’s not going to be lacking in any way.”
Ariza, who has played in 102 playoff games during his NBA career, is another switchable and experienced defender — with his 7-2 wingspan — the Heat can turn to. He’s another small-ball four option who can help unlock some of Miami’s most effective lineups because of his ability to defend multiple positions and create space for Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler with his solid three-point shooting.
“They’re extremely talented players, and players that work hard and give their all on the court. Smart guys,” Ariza said of Adebayo and Butler. “So I just feel like whatever they’re going to be doing, I’m going to just figure out how to fit in to whatever they’re doing, whether it be cutting, whether it be opening up the floor for them, switching on defense. Whatever it is that’s needed of me from them on the court, I’m going to be able to do easily. No problem.”
Of Adebayo, Ariza said: “He’s a dog, first and foremost. But the versatility that he brings to the game, his IQ, the way he passes the ball, defends the rim. All of those things are things that you want in your big. That’s what makes him so tough to match up [against] for other players because he’s so versatile.”
While it will probably take some time for Ariza to find his usual rhythm after a year away from game action, he believes the time off helped him.
‘”It has given me time to reset, think about a lot of things, my life, basketball, everything,” he said. “I feel like it has been refreshing. I got a chance to reset everything about my life, about everything. So it has given me time to clear my mind, refocus, get back to actually being extremely passionate about the game.”
Now, Ariza will experience a homecoming of sorts. He was born in Miami before moving and growing up in Los Angeles.
“That means a lot to me,” Ariza said of returning to 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 story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 12:15 PM.
