The Lakers currently have seven players who will hit the free agent market on July 1, 2015. The projected cap space for the 2015/16 season is set to climb to $67.1 million, and unfortunately for Jordan Hill, it does not seem like he will be in the Lakers’ rebuilding blueprint.
During the off-season last summer, Hill signed a two-year deal that included a team option for the 2015-16 season and there was belief that the Lakers could exercise their option on Hill, but as always in the NBA not everything goes according to plan. Now according to Adrian Wojnarowski’s sources the franchise is unlikely to exercise the option on forward Jordan Hill’s contract.
Part of Hill’s future goes beyond his own play. His future ideally hinges on if the Lakers choose to draft a talented big man like Duke’s Jahlil Okafor or Kentucky’s Karl Anthony Towns. If not, the Lakers would have to weigh the cost-benefit of Hill’s presence.
Jordan Hill is at his best when he plays within five feet of the basket as he averages 67-percent of his attempts from that distance. He has also developed a decent mid-range game, averaging around 40-percent between 15 and 24 feet. Hill has also provided inside stability for the Lakers as they’ve struggled with consistency all season, averaging 12 points and 7.9 rebounds in 57 starts this past season. Hill spent the past three-plus seasons with the Lakers, after starting his career in New York and Houston.
Other big men available over the summer include Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Monroe. All three are expected to look for a max deal or remain with their respective teams which would imply the Lakers will have a long summer ahead of them if they hope to land at least one or more talented big man to the roster.
