Should the Houston Rockets look to re-sign Trevor Ariza?

Free agency is fast approaching for the Rockets. Should they look to re-sign a key role player from last season?

The Houston Rockets are in for another busy summer. As per usual, the rumors of who is and isn’t going to sign with the team are flying around by the dozen.

Some of these moves are headline grabbers. The likes of LeBron James and Paul George are just two of the names that are rumored to have the interest of the Rockets.

However, there is a decent possibility that the Rockets don’t get a forward star like those two to join the squad. They might have to retool and try to bring a similar team back next year for another battle against the Warriors.

Should starting small forward Trevor Ariza be a part of that team?

Why the Rockets should re-sign Trevor Ariza

Ariza is coming off a pretty good year for the Rockets. Yes, he ended it poorly by going 0-9 from 3 in Game 7, but he still showed his versatility all season long.

On the season, he averaged 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the team on 36.8% shooting from downtown. Those are very respectable numbers for a role player and fourth option in the starting lineup.

Bringing him back could be beneficial for the Rockets, especially if they don’t sign a star. He may agree to take less money so that the team can focus on signing Chris Paul and Clint Capela. Ariza can still shoot efficiently and play pretty good defense if the team wants to re-sign him.

Why the Rockets should not re-sign Trevor Ariza

On the other hand, Trevor Ariza is starting to age a little bit. He just finished his 14th season in the league and is almost 33. It is unknown how his defense will hold up if he signs for multiple years.

The Warriors are rumored to be a suiter for Ariza, via ESPN. He will be pursued by many teams looking for a veteran 3-and-D player. Other teams may also be able to pay him more than Houston, another factor.

If the Rockets do manage to sign someone like George or James, I find it unlikely that Ariza would accept a bench role. If he wants to do that, by all means, re-sign him. However, I just don’t see that happening for a player with the talent level of Trevor.

Next: DeAndre Jordan could be a backup option

Overall, it just depends on the situation. The Rockets have his Bird Rights if it ever comes to that, but we’ll have to see how the offseason turns out.