The Los Angeles Lakers have finally made a decision on Jordan Hill’s option, as they have declined his $9 million team option, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.
Hill will become an unrestricted free agent when the offseason officially begins on July 1st. The Lakers gave Hill a two-year, $18 million deal last summer with a team option for the second year.
This is a brilliant move for the Lakers, as they have cleared up cap space to pursue all-star free agents, such as LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love.
With Hill’s option declined, the Lakers’ cap room rises to over $23 million. With the cleared cap space, the Lakers are expected to offer Aldridge a four-year, $80 million deal.
Hill was a solid piece for the Lakers over the last few seasons. He brought plenty of energy, hustle, and rebounding in limited minutes. Hill had the best year of his career last season, averaging 12.0 points and 7.9 rebounds. He averaged a career-high 26.8 minutes per game, and it was mainly due to the injuries the team suffered all season long.
Despite Hill’s persistent play, the Lakers needed to make this move because they have bigger, better plans this summer. The team is expected to make a huge splash this offseason, and they couldn’t do it with Hill’s contract on the books.
As for Hill, the 27-year old should be able to find a deal elsewhere really soon. He is a quality big man who gives 100 percent effort every game. At the moment, there haven’t been any teams to express interest in the big man, but with him officially hitting the free-agent market, many teams are expected to register interest.