NBA Rumors: Golden State Warriors could target Trevor Ariza this summer

NBA Rumors: The Golden State Warriors will be looking for wing depth this summer, and one name that could be of interest is Trevor Ariza

The Golden State Warriors could be preparing to give the Houston Rockets a taste of their own medicine.

Last summer, the Houston Rockets nearly stole on the Golden State’s best perimeter players. Andre Iguodala nearly signed with the Rockets before ultimately getting a better offer from the Warriors that allowed him to return.

This summer, the Warriors could be planning on doing the same when it comes to Trevor Ariza, who becomes a free agent in July. Here’s what ESPN’s Chris Haynes is hearing, transcribed via Real GM:

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"The Golden State Warriors could pursue Trevor Ariza this offseason.The Warriors tried to bolster their wing depth last summer with Nick Young and Omri Casspi, but neither player has worked out like they hoped.“That’s a name I’m hearing that could be intriguing,” said Chris Haynes on Tim Kawakami’s podcast."

The Warriors will be in the market to add depth to their perimeter. When Iggy went down in the middle of the playoffs, they clearly struggled. Not because they didn’t have enough talent to win games, because they certainly did. But because their depth took a hit.

And instead of staggering minutes for Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, those players were forced to take a bigger role in terms of minutes played and defensive assignments. Adding a player like Ariza would not only give this team the added depth that they’re seeking, but another defensive tool in the woodshed.

It would make both Thompson’s and Durant’s life a lot easier.

The only big hurdle standing in the way of possible poaching Ariza away from the Rockets will be the huge pay cut that he’ll have to make in order to sign with the Warriors.

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Barring a trade, the Warriors only have their taxpayer mid-level exception to use in free agency, which is about a $5 million offer. For comparison, Ariza made roughly $7.5 million this season with the Rockets. That’ll hurt, especially when you throw in the fact that Texas doesn’t have state taxes and California does.