NBA free agency got underway last week, but unlike last offseason the Los Angeles Lakers have been relatively quiet to this point.
That was expected as Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson has stated multiple times that the team will not be big players in free agency until 2018, when they presumably will be in position to sign two max-level players.
But the Lakers do have some needs to address this summer, and one of them is finding a backup point guard who can also serve as a mentor to rookie Lonzo Ball. Los Angeles would prefer to find such a player on a one-year contract.
The Lakers reportedly have interest in Rajon Rondo, but it may appear that they have their sights on a bigger fish.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Lakers and George Hill are meeting and discussing a one-year contract:
Free agent George Hill and reps are meeting with the Lakers today in Los Angeles, discussing a one-year deal, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 3, 2017
The 31-year-old had a breakout year with the Utah Jazz last season, averaging a career-high 16.9 points to go along with 3.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from 3-point range.
With Utah trading for Ricky Rubio, Hill’s days in Utah seem to be over, and the market for point guards this summer has not been as big as years past, which could lead to Hill taking a one-year deal for more money and then hitting the free agent market again next summer.
Hill has been a starter in this league for the past five seasons though, so it is unknown if he would be willing to take on a backup role to a rookie like Ball.
