Los Angeles native Trevor Ariza was traded to the Lakers from the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline in 2007 as a fledgling 23-year-old player still looking to find his pathway in the NBA and meet some of the potential that he had flashed during his freshman year at UCLA. It was a move that Ariza would eventually credit as saving his career.
The trade eventually turned out as one of then Lakers’ and current Charlotte Hornets’ general manager Mitch Kupchak’s shrewdest moves as Ariza developed into a legitimate 3-and-D threat by applying himself defensively with elite physical tools and becoming a reliable three-point shooter.