Jordan Hill was considered a throw-away in the deal to send Derek Fisher to the Rockets for a little financial breathing room and to make way for Ramon Sessions to join the Lakers. He wound up being one of the best bench bigs the Lakers had, actually giving both quality minutes and quality effort. But if you had said after the season that Hill would be a Laker in 2013 and Sessions would not, you'd have been called... well, maybe not crazy, but definitely pretty far out there.
And now you'd be called right.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com confirms a Yahoo Sports reports that Hill has signed a two-year, $8 million deal to return to the Lakers.
Hilll gives the Lakers what they desperately need, a rebounder and defender who isn't over the age of 30 and can give minutes at either the 4 or the 5. He's not going to score a ton of points and he will make mistakes, but he's very young and gives excellent energy when he's on the floor. The motor, so to speak, is always running.
The price isn't bad either, as typically Lakers roleplayers on star-studded teams who contribute in any meaningful way wind up getting overpaid, especially when they have good years ahead of them. Hill will be a quality reserve center, have some rough games but ultimately be the kind of spark that fans love and teams need. A good deal for both sides and another win for the Lakers' offseason.
