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Time is running out for the Los Angeles Lakers to make a trade and the franchise has been linked to players across the league. One of these players is Thunder point guard George Hill who the Lakers have “expressed interest” in acquiring, per Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer.
There hadn’t been much chatter regarding the Oklahoma City Thunder’s veteran point guard, but as the trade deadline inches ever closer, Hill’s name has emerged more and more in conversations among team executives. Both Los Angeles teams and Philadelphia have expressed interest, according to league sources. The Thunder’s asking price appears clear. “They’re willing to [both] take back and trade salary for draft compensation,” one Western Conference official said.
A potential deal for the Lakers would be challenging as L.A. has limited draft capital to send to the Thunder. The Lakers could offer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for Hill, but this does not appear to be the kind of deal the Thunder are looking for as they continue to rebuild.
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The Lakers Have More of a Chance of Landing Hill If He Receives a Buyout
As with players like Andre Drummond and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Lakers stand a better chance of landing Hill if he receives a buyout. Fischer added that the Lakers do not have the kind of draft picks the Thunder are looking for in a potential trade. There is hope around the league that Hill could receive a buyout but this is not something the Thunder typically do with players as we saw with Trevor Ariza.
“Neither Los Angeles club has first-round capital to play with, but there’s hope among several teams that OKC will come to a buyout agreement with Hill,” Fischer added. “Thunder general manager Sam Presti, however, has little history of awarding buyouts to veterans. ‘That is not OKC’s M.O.,’ one assistant general manager said. Maybe that will drive one of these contenders to splurge for Hill before the 3 p.m. ET buzzer.”
Hill is currently battling a thumb injury and has had limited time on the floor this season. The Thunder guard is averaging 11.8 points, 3.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 38.6 % from behind the arc in 14 starts during the 2020-21 season.
Vogel on the NBA Trade Deadline: ‘There’s a Lot of Talks That Result in Nothing’
Several Lakers players have been the subject of trade rumors in recent days including Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and, most recently, Dennis Schroder. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel admitted there tends to be “a lot of talks” around the trade deadline with very few deals actually coming to fruition.
“My expectation is we’re going to win games with this group,” Vogel explained, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. “I believe in the group that we have. … Most trade-deadline situations, there’s a lot of talks that result in nothing, and that’s my expectation as a coach.”
The good news for the Lakers is they stand a good chance to have success in the buyout market even if the team is unable to land Hill or another players in a trade. We will see if the Lakers end up becoming aggressive by the deadline, or simply wait to look at their available options in the buyout market.
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