The Los Angeles Lakers will start the 2021-22 NBA season without one of their veteran acquisitions. The team confirmed on Wednesday that veteran Trevor Ariza is set for a spell on the sidelines after undergoing ankle surgery. Ariza is expected to be out for at least two months.
According to the Lakers’ press release, Ariza will be reevaluated in eight weeks from now. He is expected to make a full recovery.
The injury wasn’t something recent, as Ariza experienced issues with his ankle for the better part of the offseason. This caused him to miss the majority of the Lakers’ training camp.
The Lakers signed Trevor Ariza on a one-year, $2.6 million deal back in August. This marked a return to the franchise for the 36-year-old vet after 12 years. Ariza previously played in LA between 2007 and 2009 and was part of the team that won the NBA Championship during the 2008-09 season.
Since leaving the Lakers, Ariza played for seven different franchises, including the Houston Rockets and the Washington Wizards. He spent the last season with the Miami Heat, suiting up for 30 games during the regular season and averaging 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. He started all four of the Heat’s postseason games as well but only managed to score 4.8 points on average.
