NBA Los Angeles Lakers

Jordan Hill Injury Comes At Bad Time For Trade Value

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By @IanClarkMcEwan

Jordan Hill Finger Wag

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers big man Jordan Hill will miss multiple weeks because of a sprain to his hip flexor, and this comes at a bad time for the Laker franchise. You may be wondering how that’s possible, considering the Lakers are one of the worst teams in the NBA and the loss of any player, even Kobe Bryant, has little to no bearing on their fate for the rest of the season. The reason the loss of Hill is more damaging to the Lakers future than Bryant’s loss is because Hill is a terrific trade asset for the Lakers in the coming weeks before the Feb. 19 trade deadline. Hill is expected to miss two to three weeks, which puts his return almost on the dot of the deadline. This may discourage teams from seeking his services for the stretch run.

This may simply be an overreaction from an observer who isn’t privy to the in-depth scouting reports and medical records each NBA team has on their players. Perhaps this injury is simply an opportunity for Hill to rest. Perhaps, ironically, it’s an injury the team has decided to sit him for to protect him from further injury that would make trading him this season nearly impossible.

While those may be legitimate reasons for Hill to miss two to three weeks, the fact remains that if teams like the Atlanta Hawks or Oklahoma City Thunder balk at the idea of acquiring a big man who has dealt with a hip injuries before, the Lakers will lose an opportunity to sell high on Hill. Hill dealt with a hip injury that sidelined him for the season in January 2013, and this may concern interested parties.

While Hill is currently playing the best basketball of his Laker career, he does have another year on his contract at $ 9 million. If teams, specifically the two mentioned above, fear Hill will not be able to replicate his performance the rest of this season because of the injury, or that he will not be able to stay healthy next year, his salary may force budget-minded teams like the Hawks and Thunder to pursue other options.

The Lakers are not going to contend for anything more meaningful than a top five lottery pick for the remainder of the 2015 season. This makes every player expendable, save for the aforementioned Bryant. If Hill was healthy at this point, the Lakers would have more leverage to package him in a deal to get assets who could help Kobe contend next year, or help the Lakers rebuild when Bryant eventually retires. These are two things it does not appear Hill is suited or necessary to do. Thus, it becomes imperative the Lakers strike while the iron is hot, but because Hill is currently injured, the Lakers may just miss their chance.

Ian McEwan is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @IanClarkMcEwan,“Like”him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. He is not the British author.

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