The Suns are reportedly interested in trading Trevor Ariza as rival executives believe he will be among the players made available in trade discussions after Dec. 15, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.

Since Ariza signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Suns over the summer, the earliest he can be dealt is Saturday when the trade restriction lifts on all players signed this past offseason.

The Suns' Trevor Ariza is seen by rival teams at the top of the list of players who will be made available via trade after Dec. 15, league sources say — Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 4, 2018

The Suns are just 4-24 this season and have lost nine consecutive games and are expected to pursue a trade for Ariza in an attempt to acquire at least one asset in return.

Ariza, 33, is an attractive trade chip for the Suns as a ‘3-and-D’ player that can provide some depth on the wing and can stretch the floor with his ability to shoot from beyond the arc.

It was reported on Monday by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that the Suns have engaged in trade talks with the Lakers for Ariza as the two teams are looking for a third team to take on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in a potentially larger deal.

The report indicated that the Suns and Lakers are making progress in finding a third team in a potential deal but they are not close on an agreement and the Suns are still actively involved with other teams throughout the league.

Just a friendly reminder on Trevor Ariza deal: He can't get traded until 12/15. So the Lakers have some time to find the best partners in a deal to make something work for all parties involved. But it's on LA to do it, not Phoenix. — Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) December 10, 2018

While the Suns are active in discussions, it remains to be seen if the Thunder could be a potential trade partner for Ariza since the team may not have enough assets to offer Phoenix.

As it stands, the Thunder are 17-8 on the season and were first in the Western Conference after defeating the Jazz on Monday night. They rank first in the NBA in defense but the depth of the team has come into question.

With an open roster spot, the Thunder could be among the teams interested in Ariza as he would give the team yet another strong defensive threat that can help shoot from deep.

The Thunder have struggled to shoot from beyond the arc this season after ranking 29th in 3-point percentage, 24th in 3-point makes and 16th in 3-point attempts and appear to be looking to make a move to improve.

They were among the teams interested in sharpshooter Kyle Korver prior to the Cavaliers opting to deal Korver to the Jazz in exchange for Alec Burks and two future second-round draft picks.

While Ariza is not nearly as an accomplished shooter like Korver, he figures to be an upgrade for the second unit and he can help provide sound defense, as well.

The problem that teams face with trading for Ariza, though, is he could potentially be just a rental player this season since he is only signed through this season.

As ESPN front-office insider Bobby Marks pointed out recently, the Thunder have a $10.7 million trade exception that they may use in a potential trade that was acquired in the Carmelo Anthony deal.

The other problem that the Thunder face, as Marks points out, is the team would face a greater luxury-tax bill if they add salary this season and it would cost them between $4.75 and $5.50 for every $1 spent.

Adding Ariza and his $15 million contract this season would add a good chunk of change onto the team’s tax bill. The organization has shown a willingness to pay that sort of money if the results are there and they may be inclined to do so with the team currently in first place.

With the Suns apparently looking for assets in return, they would likely be seeking a player like Terrance Ferguson, Hamidou Diallo, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot or Abdel Nader but it seems unlikely the team would trade Ferguson or Diallo at this time.

While the Suns are reportedly seeking a point guard in return, it should be noted that Raymond Felton would have to agree to a potential trade based on the one-year Bird restriction clause after signing a one-year deal with the Thunder this offseason.

The Thunder cannot trade a first-round draft pick until 2024 at the earliest since they owe their 2020 pick to the Magic and their 2022 pick to the Hawks which means they are just left with their 2019 second-round pick to include in a potential deal.

Suns have heard from no less than 8 teams interested in acquiring Trevor Ariza. Lakers are one of those teams but there is nothing close at this time. Suns not interested in KCP and a bench player. — John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) December 10, 2018

While it certainly seems like the Thunder may not have enough to land Ariza, especially with other teams involved in the sweepstakes, Thunder general manager Sam Presti has shown in the past that he can make miracles happen so it will be interesting to see if the Thunder will be involved with the Suns.

With Ariza currently playing well for the Suns after averaging nearly 10 points per game on 35.3 percent shooting from 3-point range, Phoenix will likely be motivated to move quickly on a deal so things could pick up before Saturday.

We will continue to monitor this situation.