It’s no secret that Laker forward Jordan Hill and head coach Mike D’Antoni are not exactly what one would call best friends. Therefore, the following news should come as no surprise.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, if D’Antoni is still the coach next year, it is highly doubtful that Hill will re-sign with the Lakers as a free agent this summer:
“It is doubtful that Hill would re-sign with the Lakers as a free-agent this summer with D’Antoni still the coach, sources told Yahoo Sports.”
Rumors are already floating around that Hill could be headed to the Brooklyn Nets before the February 20 trade deadline. Although trade rumors have been involving Pau Gasol lately, Hill may be the player to end up leaving the Lakers before this Thursday. If the Nets were to trade for Hill, the Lakers would only be relieved of his salary, receiving no players in return.
The acquisition would come at quite the cost for the Nets though. They would be shelling out a big $17 million in order to absorb Hill’s luxury tax penalty on his existent contract with the Lakers in this potential acquisition. The Nets are eligible for an extra $5.25 million due to the disabled player exception they received after Brook Lopez’s season-ending foot surgery.
This deal has only been in the beginning stages of discussion, but the two teams have all of three days to come to an agreement. This would be an interesting move considering the history between D’Antoni and Hill. Hill has averaged 8.5 points and seven rebounds per game so far this season and could be a good addition for the Nets as they try to make a run at the playoffs if they are willing to pay up the money for the deal.
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