Lakers News: Team Officially Acquires Hibbert From Pacers
By Alex Torres
The drama surrounding DeAndre Jordan yesterday was extremely entertaining. After Jordan had picked the Mavs, the Clippers made one final pitch and convinced Jordan to come back to Los Angeles. The Clippers stayed at Jordan’s home until he could officially sign with the team and Twitter exploded with the memes and jokes.
RELATED: 5 Things D’Angelo Russell Can Learn From Kobe Bryant
What does this have to do with the Lakers? Reports surfaced that the Mavs could be looking to trade for Roy Hibbert if Jordan opted to sign with the Clippers, which would have left the Lakers without a big man to clog the paint.
Fortunately, Larry Bird and the Pacers honored their verbal agreement and Hibbert will be wearing purple and gold. This is an excerpt from the official press release:
"The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired center Roy Hibbert in a trade with the Indiana Pacers, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. In exchange the Pacers will receive a future second round pick.“We’re happy to add a veteran big man to the roster,” said Kupchak. “Roy is a proven All-Star center that will help improve our front line. In addition he is a consummate professional and we look forward to having him on the team.”"
In exchange for Hibbert, the Pacers will be receiving a second round pick from the Lakers, which is not a lot considering the Lakers are getting an All-Star big man. Hibbert had a rough year this past season, but he has proven he can be one of the better rim protectors in the NBA.
Since the salary cap went up higher than what was anticipated, the Lakers didn’t have to trade away any players. Now, the Lakers could still make another move, but at least we have a good idea of what the roster will look like going into 2015-16 season.