Good 4 year stretch from Ariza. Won't be shocked to seem him back here at some point in the future. Ultimately, we need more offensive impact from our starting lineup. Ariiza would have needed to go the bench. I'd rather start Gordon or Prince there.
You say this like the offseason is over. Replacing Ariza with a better younger player and then using our exceptions to add quality players makes a team that already was better than the Warriors, even better.
Everyone on this roster minus Harden and Paul are expendable. When you're so close to your own team, you overlook how easy it is to find players that can match or exceed what your role players do.
If Luc Mbah a Moute is re-signed, he immediately upgrades our SF starter. If the trade hypothesized by Clutch to exchange Ryno and picks for Bazemore goes through, you have another young upgrade.
People here saying Luc is better than Ariza are insane. Did you watch the playoffs? With how bad he played it'd be like saying Brewer is an upgrade over Ariza.
Are you kidding me? Mbah a Moute was our best 3&D player but f***ed up his shoulder, period. That's the reason and ONLY reason he played like garbage in the playoffs.
His shoulder popped out on a rim grazer dunk. He said he doesn't trust his shoulder and that's what contributed to his terrible play. Anything more than a minimum contract he should be turned away.
I am sure Morey has a plan for replacing Ariza. We kind of knew we won't be able to bring back everyone at the end of season. CP is back, CC will be matched, and Ariza can be replaced.
So, long term, Ariza goes back to LA after the Suns (on the cheap) in hopes of winning another one there? He will be missed here. He gave us a lot of good years.
Ariza was great but he needs to get paid and we can't afford to pay him. Honestly he is not worth the 15 mils a year. He is getting old and his production has dropped in the playoffs. In fact I think we need to upgrade that position anyway as Ariza can't play long mins given his age. Don't forget we are going into playoffs and that's like another season in itself.
And who exactly is "better" that we put in Ariza's place? Because even though FA/Trade season isn't over yet, all we've seen are moves more about MAINTAINING rather than IMPROVING. I get it - maintaining is a no-brainer, but improving is a NECESSITY especially in the new top-heavy west.
