With the Los Angeles Lakers being out of playoff contention at this point and the trade deadline rapidly approaching, many will begin to speculate about what moves, if any, the Lakers might make in the trade market in the coming weeks. Arguably the best trade chip they have is big man Jordan Hill.
— Have You Seen These LIMITED EDITION “Try Me” T-Shirts? —
Hill recently suffered a hip injury that could keep him out for up to two weeks, but according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, interest in Hill remains high:
Early in the year, interested teams were told that Hill would not be available. That has not stopped the interest in Hill, who is averaging 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds, and can potentially be a free agent next summer because he has a team option in his contract. Hill is out with a quad injury and may not play until the deadline hits, but interest in him will remain high.
The Lakers may not have been willing to trade Hill earlier in the season as the team wanted to see whether they could make any sort of playoff push, but with that no longer being the case, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team’s stance on moving Hill has changed.
Hill has posted career high numbers across the board and there are a number of playoff teams who could use Hill’s energy and rebounding on their roster be it in a starting role or coming off the bench.
Hill’s contract, worth $9 million with a team option after this season, is also attractive as it basically serves as an expiring contract should a team want to cut ties with Hill at the end of the year.
[divide]Lakers Nick Young Says He Is the Face Of Nike