Lakers Rumors: Latest on Potential Trevor Ariza, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Trade

The Los Angeles Lakers are going for it.

After exponentially accelerating their rebuild by landing LeBron James this summer, the Purple and Gold have now targeted Trevor Ariza as their next potential turbo boost.

The Lakers are speaking to the Phoenix Suns about a possible three-team trade bringing Ariza back to L.A., sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The sides are trying to find a taker for Lakers swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, with the Suns hoping to leave the swap with both "a playmaking guard and a draft asset," per Wojnarowski.

Ariza, who played his high school and college ball in L.A., previously spent a season-plus with the Lakers. He landed there in Nov. 2007 in a trade with the Orlando Magic, working his way into a starting role on the 2008-09 championship team.

The 33-year-old has started for several playoff participants since, shining both for his defensive versatility and outside shot. He has the sixth-most steals among active players and the 22nd-most defensive win shares since entering the league. He's a 35.3 percent three-point shooter for his career and one of only five players with at least 170 triples in each of the past five seasons.

Essentially, he's a plug-and-play piece for any club aiming to compete. As the New York Times' Marc Stein previously relayed, Ariza has been viewed as the most attractive trade piece expected to be made available in trades after Dec. 15.

The Lakers might like him even more than most.

Their good-not-great ninth ranking in defensive efficiency shows a clear opening for another stopper, and Ariza looks perfect for their perimeter. Having him around to handle bigger wings—think Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, etc.—means not having to worry about either running James ragged or being burned by Brandon Ingram's lack of experience.

Ariza could be a boon to this offense, too.

While he's had a dreadful start to the season (career-worst 36.8 field-goal percentage), he's likely bearing the brunt of the Suns' team-wide struggles on that side. His game is meant to complement the players around him, and right now he's playing without Devin Booker and with a slew of young, unproven, mostly underperforming players in Phoenix.

Flash-back just one year, though, and Ariza was thriving alongside James Harden and Chris Paul on the Houston Rockets. Ariza's 56.7 true shooting percentage tied for the third-highest of his career.

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He's a low-maintenance addition who isn't looking to dominate touches or time of possession. His ability and willingness to merely space the floor would widen driving lanes for L.A.'s attackers and give its playmakers another capable receiver for their passes.

As Hoops Hype's Bryan Kalbrosky detailed, Ariza would also be an asset in the Lakers' active transition game:

"Under head coach Luke Walton, Los Angeles has finished 21 percent of their offensive possessions in transition—that's currently second-best in the NBA.

"Ariza averaged 1.31 points per possession in a transition offense for the Houston Rockets last season, per Synergy Sports. Among players who had at least 100 possessions on this play type, only eight were more efficient than Ariza. He ranked Top 25 in total transition scoring, averaging 3.8 points per game."

This makes a lot of sense for the Lakers. The question is whether the same rings true for the Suns and a third team.

Phoenix had visions of fast-tracking its own development when giving Ariza a one-year, $15 million contract this summer. But the Suns seem worlds away from contending, and it's clear their point guard problem demands a solution.

It's impossible to know what a third team would want to accomplish without knowing the club's identity. That said, the Philadelphia 76ers would make for a logical partner, as they could use Caldwell-Pope's two-way talents and no longer have the patience for point guard prospect Markelle Fultz that Phoenix would.

While it's possible to connect the dots for the Lakers, Suns and perhaps the Sixers, that doesn't mean this deal is imminent or even likely. Wojnarowski reported "no agreements are close and both teams remain active in multiple trade discussions throughout the league."

In other words, don't be surprised if this smoke clears without any sign of an actual fire. But as far as trade rumors go, this seems to make more sense than most.

Statistics used courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com.