After winning their 17th championship in franchise history, tying the NBA record for most championships by a franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers went out and added more talent ahead of the 2020-21 season in Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol. With a much more talented team this year, the Lakers have once again started off the season hot and have one of the best records in the NBA. However, a trade for George Hill could put them in an even better position.
While having LeBron James and Anthony Davis automatically make the Lakers favorites to repeat as champions, one of the biggest reasons why this team has been successful early on in the year is because of their continued success on the defensive end of the court.
Los Angeles is giving up the second-least amount of points per game to their opponents and are one of the best one-on-one defensive teams in the league. This roster has really bought into the ideal of sacrificing for each other and as a result, they find themselves as one of the most annoying teams to play because of how they get after it on the defensive end of the court.
Davis is a legit Defensive Player of the Year candidate and with other scrappy one-on-one defenders in Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Dennis Schroder, this Lakers team will go as far as their defense lets them go. As good as their defense is, their offense is not too bad either.
LeBron is now 36 years old and still looks like he is in the prime of his career. His minutes are slightly down this year, but his production has remained the same, as he has helped elevate this Lakers offense and they currently rank amongst the best in the league in points per game.
Just because things are great right now does not mean GM Rob Pelinka and this front-office will sit back and relax come trade deadline time. Pelinka has always been known to be aggressive in the search for more talent, which is why veteran point guard George Hill could be an interesting trade target for the Lakers.
He has plenty of playoff experience and with the Thunder always looking to “wheel and deal” their players, the Lakers could potentially add him at a minimal cost. Will L.A. look to add another experienced talent to their backcourt ahead of this season’s trade deadline?
Let’s take a look at three reasons why the Lakers should pursue a trade with the Thunder in attempts to acquire George Hill.
