18 people who turned their back on the Houston Rockets franchise

10. Trevor Ariza

Trevor Ariza's second stint with the Rockets went much better than his first stint in the Space City, which only lasted one season (2009-10). Ariza became a ferocious defender who could knock down threes, as he made 35.7 percent of his long-range attempts from 2014-2018.

Ariza made the 7th-most threes in 2014-15, 12th-most threes in 2015-16, and 14th-most threes in 2016-17 and his defense had alot to do with the Rockets keeping Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant "in check" (if that's even possible). Ariza's contract ended after the 2017-18 season and it was known that the Rockets needed him.

But it takes two to tango and Ariza was focused on getting the bag (which I can't blame him for). The 3-and-D specialist ultimately nabbed a one-year deal worth $15 million with the Phoenix Suns.

Later on, the Rockets tried to bring Ariza back, but he wasn't interested unless given an apology. This was unfortunate because the team could've used his skillset in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.