3. Roy Hibbert
It’s been evident through the first half of the Lakers’ season that Roy Hibbert really is a terrible fit in Los Angeles. Not only is he a veteran presence on a team that needs to be experimenting with youth (looking at you, Tarik Black), but he’s also not been able to serve his primary objective with this team in terms of consistently protecting the rim and improving the Lakers defense overall.
Hibbert as a trade chip is interesting for a number of reasons, the most prominent being that he’s not worth what he’s being paid currently in terms of what he’s been producing in Los Angeles. However, that is at least somewhat negated by the fact that he’s an expiring contract. Subsequently, other teams looking to clear cap-room for 2016 free agency could look to move either picks or young assets in order to pick up an expiring deal like Hibbert’s.
Of all the pieces that the Lakers have, Hibbert is one of the most likely to be dealt (or so it seems). What kind of deal he would be a part of remains to be seen, but an expiring contract of that size is incredibly valuable in terms of what’s going to be a hectic 2016 free agency period and some teams around the league could bite on the opportunity that Hibbert presents in that regard.
Next: No. 2 Lou