Trevor Ariza: Ready to Play Hardball

Or, at the very least, his agent is: “While Ariza has maintained that he hopes to wear purple and gold again next season, agent David Lee said Monday that the Lakers won’t receive any hometown discount from his client. Lee declined to reveal how much of a raise Ariza will seek when he becomes an unrestricted free agent Tuesday night at 9:01 p.m., but he said the young forward’s upside should make him the most coveted wing player on the market…’It’s a question of how committed the Lakers are to competing again,’ [agent David Lee] said. ‘If everyone else stood still, you could see what happens when a piece is missing, but the reality is teams out there are positioning themselves to be competitive. When other teams are getting better, you can’t afford to rest on your laurels.’”