With DeAndre Jordan heading back to the Los Angeles Clippers, attention immediately shifted to Roy Hibbert. The Indiana Pacers had placed the center on the market in hopes of clearing cap space to build around Paul George. The Los Angeles Lakers won the battle to acquire the center, but the Dallas Mavericks are now eyeing a bidding war over Hibbert after losing out on Jordan to the Clippers.
According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports, the Lakers will maintain Ribbert as the trade is expected to become official on Thursday. The Lakers will be sending a future second-round pick and cash to Indiana in exchange for the center. For his part, Hibbert has already changed his Twitter background to reflect the change in teams, meaning Dallas is out of the running for a deal.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Mavericks were going to try and make a last-minute run at Hibbert by offering more than what the Lakers did. Sources expected Larry Bird to open up the phone lines once again and at least check in to see how desperate Dallas is for a move. However, the Lakers are winning and will get Hibbert with one year left on his contract.
With the addition of Hibbert, the Lakers are not yet done making moves. According to Sam Amico of Fox Sports, the Lakers are talking with the Cleveland Cavaliers about potentially acquiring Brendan Haywood and his non-guaranteed contract. Getting Haywood could be a win-win for the Lakers. They already got Lou Williams and Brandon Bass this week, adding Haywood would increase depth. They could also acquire the center and then flip him for other assets.
With the Hibbert trade official, the Lakers will shift their attention to shopping Nick Young in the coming days. With the intention of clearing salary cap space, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports is reporting that Young is being shopped to get rid of his $16.3 million owed through the 2017-18 season. Getting rid of Young will not be easy. While he is known for scoring, he is streaky and his shot selection is not the best. Considering the weight of his contract, the Lakers will be hard-pressed to find a buyer. The Sacramento Kings or even the Boston Celtics could show interest considering they were interested in players like Josh Smith while also needing scoring help. The Lakers would have to lower expectations about what they will receive in return.
