Trevor

Ariza

He’ll sign a two-year deal with a team option on the 2022-2023 season. Gabriel initially signed a two-way contract with the Lakers on March 1, and they’ve decided they’d like to convert it to a standard NBA deal after seeing him appear in just 17 games. It’s great news for Gabriel as he wasn’t on a team for a 10-month period before March, and there’s already room for him since L.A. waived Trevor Ariza yesterday. Gabriel could play heavy minutes in the Lakers’ final two games with the main guys out tonight and likely not suiting up Sunday either.

Ariza’s return to the Lakers did not go as planned for either he or the franchise, as they will not be headed to the postseason. The veteran forward did not offer much in the way of fantasy value this season, so his early exit won’t have an impact in that regard, either. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Lakers intend to convert the contract of a younger player ahead of Sunday’s deadline. Wenyen Gabriel and Mason Jones are the team’s current two-way contract recipients.

He’s far from the only one dealing with an illness around the league, and if LeBron and AD can’t play either (both questionable), the Lakers will be in serious trouble. Maybe Trevor Ariza gets more run but he’s the furthest thing from a fantasy asset there is.

Ariza was in the starting lineup Tuesday night, likely for defensive reasons. The two steals were nice, but outside of that statistic, the veteran wing did not offer much in the way of value. The man he replaced in the starting lineup, Stanley Johnson, ended up having his best offensive showing of the season to date. Johnson shot 7-of-13 from the field and 1-of-3 from the foul line, scoring a season-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds, one assist, and one 3-pointer in 26 minutes. With the Lakers in need of scoring, it was Johnson who was on the court during the team’s fourth-quarter rally. Who starts Wednesday’s game in Portland remains to be seen, but neither Ariza nor Johnson has been consistent enough to merit being rostered in most leagues.

The Lakers are making another change to their starting lineup, with Ariza replacing Stanley Johnson. Ariza has a better chance of offering up a few 3-pointers, but there isn’t much need to roster either in any fantasy league.

Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, Ariza’s minutes have rarely exceeded the 20-minute mark this season, and only once has he cracked double-figures in the scoring column. The 36-year-old veteran is well past his days of relevancy in fantasy hoops, and safe to leave on the waiver wire in all formats.

Anthony has missed three straight games; if he can’t play Wednesday night, Talen Horton-Tucker and Trevor Ariza would play more minutes.

Surprisingly, the Lakers decided to shake up the lineup and start Ariza. To no one’s surprise, his contributions were minimal. In two prior starts, he averaged 1.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 stocks and 1.5 assists. He’s not worth a pickup even if he continues to start.

He missed his only game of the season in an ugly loss to the Kings last night, which allowed Trevor Ariza to play a season-high 25 minutes, but he was very underwhelming with the exception of his three steals. LeBron James could feast even more if Melo sits, but Bron has more than proven that he’ll be feasting no matter what.

Ariza will be joined by Malik Monk, LeBron James, Avery Bradley and Russell Westbrook in tonight’s matchup against the Kings.