Kupchak likes Ariza for his defense

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Lakers got younger, shed some salary and hoped they added a future lockdown defender by acquiring rangy forward Trevor Ariza from the Orlando Magic on Tuesday for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans.

Ariza, 22, excelled at Westchester High and UCLA, but had been playing limited minutes in his fourth NBA season because the Magic signed All-Star forward Rashard Lewis during the off-season.

Ariza, listed at 6 feet 8 and 210 pounds, was averaging 3.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.5 minutes for a team that is 10-2 this season. He has two years left on his contract -- $3.1 million this season and a player option next season for $3.1 million.

Ariza will suit up tonight against Milwaukee if all three players pass physicals today.

“Trevor was ecstatic,” Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. “His ties are deep to Los Angeles.”

The move leaves the Lakers with 14 players, one below the NBA maximum, and saves the franchise about $6 million over the next three seasons, potentially $9.1 million if Ariza opts out next July. The Lakers remain about $1 million over the luxury tax this season.

Orlando was said to covet veteran players, which it will get in Cook and Evans.

Cook, who turns 27 in two weeks, had been struggling with his shot and defensively in his fifth NBA season. The Lakers’ first-round pick in 2003, Cook was averaging 2.3 points and made four of 21 shots (19%) this season. He was in the first year of a three-year, $10.5-million contract.

Evans, 29, was in the final year of a contract that pays him $1.7 million this season. He was a hot-and-cold contributor off the bench, and there were mild concerns he would question his lack of playing time in a contract year. He was averaging 4.4 points and 13.7 minutes this season.

“There’s a couple different reasons why we did it,” Kupchak said. “We felt we had some duplication on the roster, in particular at that power forward position. I just didn’t think that Cook was going to play. I also felt that we had duplication in the backcourt. Although Maurice was a backup player, I thought he might not get the minutes he felt he needed.

“Another factor and maybe the biggest factor . . . we like Trevor Ariza. He brings us a dimension we don’t have, which is a defensive player at that position. We don’t know how much he’s going to play initially, so I’m not going to go out there and say he’s going to be our lockdown defender. It may take him a while to get acclimated to what we do, but we don’t have a player like that.

“I wouldn’t say that Lamar [Odom] is the type of guy that can be that lockdown defender at that [small forward] position. Luke Walton also has struggled a little bit with athletic small forwards.”

Ariza helped take Westchester to two state titles before averaging 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds in one season at UCLA. He was taken 44th overall by New York in the 2004 draft and was traded to Orlando during the 2005-06 season.

The news of Tuesday’s trade surprised some of the Lakers, who were privately concerned that the success of the second unit could be affected by losing two peripheral contributors.

Also, Cook was close friends with Walton, and Evans was close with Andrew Bynum.

“Mo was my best friend, so it kind of hurt me a little bit more than a lot of people on the team,” Bynum said. “I came out there and gave a little bit extra energy for him.”

Bynum had 17 points on six-for-six shooting in the Lakers’ 134-114 victory Tuesday over Indiana.

Cook was also surprised. He did not ride on the team bus, but watched the game from the crowd in street clothes and went into the locker room afterward for a final goodbye.

“I’ve fought a lot of wars with these guys,” he said. “I’m sad right now. After a few days, I’ll get settled.”

Teams that make trades must be within 25% of each other in exchanged salaries, but the deal was accomplished because the Magic had a $2.6-million trade exception that would have expired Dec. 11. The exception came from an injury transaction involving former Magic center Tony Battie.

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TONIGHT

at Milwaukee, 5 PST, Ch. 9

Site -- Bradley Center.

Radio -- 570, 1330.

Records -- Lakers 7-3, Bucks 5-4.

Record vs. Bucks (2006-07) -- 0-2.

Update -- The Bucks are 4-0 at home. The Bucks defeated the Lakers in Milwaukee last season, 110-90, as forward Charlie Villanueva had 26 points.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com