Will it be adios for Los Angeles Lakers big man Jordan Hill? The scenario could all depend on what happens this June when the Lakers select the second overall pick for the 2015 NBA Draft.
The Lakers could draft either Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns in the coming draft although rumors have it that Okafor has made it known that he want to be a Laker. If that materializes, it could jeopardize one of the frontline slots, Jordan Hill included.
The 27 year old Hill has been around and has a team option with the Lakers. His future depends largely on what the Lakers plan to do despite earlier rumors of possible trades. If he stays, it will cost the Lakers $9 million to keep him.
Hill, who has had stints with the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets in the past had his share of injuries but is also one of the blue chip workers for the team. He has been known to do the dirty work but such efforts have not helped the cause of the Lakers who have been dwelling in the lower part of the NBA team standings for two years in a row now.
So would it be wise to trade Hill now?
There will be teams interested in Hill though the Lakers could consider the fact that he could mentor the incoming Okafor (or Towns).
But another twist is also up in the air with rumors that the Lakers could forego picking either big man (Okafor or Towns) and go for a guard. D'Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay are possible alternatives if the Lakers do go for the best guard available.
That scenario would of course become a shocker considering the Lakers are in the best position to land one of the top two players in the draft.
Another scenario could be that the Lakers would be making room for a possible free agent hire. There are a lot of big men available in the coming NBA Free Agency and the Lakers could be making room for whoever they can convince to join them.
Among the big men who the Lakers can go after are Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Greg Monroe. Marc Gasol could also be a consideration but it would take something tempting to lure the Spaniard out of Memphis.
