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According to Shams Charania, the Suns have signed former Rocket Trevor Ariza to a one-year contract worth $15 million.
Houston free agent Trevor Ariza has agreed to a one-year, $15M deal with the Phoenix Suns, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2018
Rumors of Ariza signing with Phoenix began to flurry early Saturday night, but it was unsure whether or not he was using it for leverage. It is possible that Ariza’s camp felt that he was not valued high enough in Houston and that he would be the third priority for the Rockets in terms of signing.
The money was certainly doable for Houston in the cap room, but it looked like Ariza wanted a deal done where he knew he could get a much-deserved payday.
With the new deal, Ariza joins the team with the worst record in the league after leaving the team with the best record in the league. He will look to be a mentor for the young core of Josh Jackson, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton.
Now, Houston has a hole to fill and a need to get some defense back that Ariza will take with him to the desert.
This article will be updated as details begin to surface.
For the time being, thank you for four great seasons, Trevor.