The Los Angeles Lakers will have to do without Trevor Ariza for about two months. The 36-year-old had an operation on his right ankle on Wednesday and will therefore miss the start of the season.
The franchise announced on Wednesday that the forward must take a break of at least eight weeks after the operation. Then he should be re-evaluated, but the Lakers assume a complete healing.
Ariza returned in the summer as a free agent to the Lakers, for whom he already appeared from 2007 to 2009. In 2009 he won the championship as a starter alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Shortly after the deal for Russell Westbrook, the point guard recruited Ariza, who signed a minimal contract in LA.
Last season he ran for 30 games for the Heat after a midseason trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder to Miami. On average, he scored 9.4 points and grabbed 4.8 rebounds with throwing rates of 41.1 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from downtown.
The 17-year-old NBA veteran is one of several seasoned Lakers signings this summer looking to launch an assault on the title with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The failure of Ariza could mean that more responsibility on the wing could fall to Kent Bazemore, Talen Horton-Tucker and Malik Monk.
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