Where he has wanted to be
Miami-born Ariza finally gets chance with Heat
When you’ve played for 10 NBA teams, there is a good chance your career will take you full circle.
That now is the case for Miami Heat forward Trevor Ariza. Born in Miami, Ariza said Friday that among his initial pre-draft interviews after leaving UCLA in 2004 was with the Heat.
The Heat wound up going with Dorell Wright that year, but now 35, Ariza has outlasted just about his entire draft class, making it back to South Florida with Wednesday’s trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder for Meyers Leonard and a secondround pick.
“I always wanted to play for this franchise,” he said ahead of Friday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers at American-Airlines Arena. “It’s just some place that I always wanted to be. Most of my family is here. It’s exciting, man.”
As is getting back on the court.
Ariza’s last game action was March 10 of last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, before the NBA’s pandemic shutdown, with Ariza then opting out of the Disney World quarantine-bubble completion of the season due to a family matter.
“I’m extremely anxious to be on the court,” he said. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t. I’m excited. I’ve definitely prepared to be in this situation to play, but you never know until you get out there.”
Among those in Ariza’s 2004 NBA draft class was Heat forward Andre Iguodala. Like Ariza, Iguodala went months without playing before joining the Heat at the 2020 trading deadline.
Iguodala hit the ground running. Ariza is hoping for the same, after working with noted South Florida trainer Stanley Remy, who has trained several Heat players.
“The good thing for me is I have a lot of experience of going through NBA seasons,” Ariza said. “Obviously not playing in NBA games, or being in NBA practices, you can’t duplicate. But Remy has definitely prepared me to be as close as I possibly can to be prepared to play an NBA game.”
Ariza said the time off allowed him to decompress.
“It’s given me time to reset, think about a lot of things, my life, basketball, everything,” he said. “I feel like it’s been refreshing. I got a chance to reset everything about my life, about everything.
“So it’s given me time to clear my mind, refocus, get back to actually being extremely passionate about the game.”
After some uneven stints with teams out of contention, Ariza said he again sees a fit.
“I just feel like is matches my style of person, period,” he said. “I work hard, [am an] 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.”
In bypassing the bubble and then reaching an agreement with the Thunder to wait out a trade, Ariza said the pandemic protocols have been the biggest challenge.
“That’s going to be the biggest adjustment for me because I haven’t played since the pandemic,” he said.
Otherwise? Comfortable and at home.
“I think it’s pretty cut and dry,” Ariza said. “They let me know exactly what it is that I need to do, my spots. The players have been great, as far as bringing me along and catching me up to what they do here.
“Obviously, I won’t know what it’s going to look like until I actually get on the floor or play in a game. But I think I’ll catch on pretty good.”
Having been training in Miami, Ariza has liked what he has seen this season.
“That they play hard every possession,” he said. “Any time anybody is on the court, they play hard, they hold each other accountable for mistakes, not to get on anybody, but just to make sure that the team is growing and going in the right direction.”