Blazers superstar Damian Lillard referred to the heavy loss of Trevor Ariza

A lot of players seem to not take part in the NBA’s plan to resume the season in Orlando for an array of reasons. Some have tested positive to coronavirus and that automatically eliminates them from playing basketball and others for personal reasons have let their teams know that they shouldn’t count them for this run in Orlando. One of those players is Trevor Ariza, who has elected to opt-out in order to fulfil a one-month visitation period with his son.

“It’s a big loss,” the Blazers superstar Damian Lillard said of Trevor Ariza’s decision to opt-out and how this loss will impact the team, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I don’t think there’s any way around it. It’s not a situation where you just say, you know, ‘Somebody has to jump in and step up’ even though that’s the truth. It’s just a loss for us but I respect his opinion. If I was in his position I would have done the same thing.

“I think this season we dealt with a lot of adversity. So I think we got to look at that as it’s a blow to our team, but we’re also getting [Jusuf Nurkic] and Zach [Collins] back, and that’s going to be a big help for us. Hopefully, we’re able to move forward and still get done what we want to get done.”

When the season got suspended, the Blazers were sitting in ninth place at 29–37 just 3/5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies.

With Trevor Ariza out for personal reasons and Carmelo Anthony not sure if he will join the team in Orlando, the Blazers should take a look at the list with the players who are available on the market and see what may be a good fit for them. Although they have already chosen Ariza’s replacement, signing G-League MVP Jaylen Adams, I am not sure if this move is the one they need.

Furthermore, let’s not forget that power forward Zach Collins (played in three games this season) and center Jusuf Nurkic, who missed the entire season, are finally back and they are exactly the pieces that they were looking forward to adding to the puzzle and create a team that has the potential to go after the Memphis Grizzlies and why not claim the eighth seed. Let’s point out that their first game is against the Memphis Grizzlies on July 31st and it’s a critical game. However, teams such as the New Orleans Pelicans, the Sacramento Kings, the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns are going to give the same fight when the season gets resumed.

Trevor Ariza, at the age of 34, played in 21 games this season for the Blazers and averaged 11 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.4 blocks, shooting 49.1% from the field and 40% from the perimeter.

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