Lakers Free-Agency Rumors (Photo : REUTERS)
The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly shown interest in re-signing both Jeremy Lin and Jordan Hill after their meeting with free-agent power forward LaMarcus Aldridge didn't end up well per report by L.A Times NBA scribe Mike Bresnahan.
With Aldridge reportedly not impressed by their recruitment pitch and other free-agency targets (Kevin Love inks with Cavaliers to a five-year $110MM deal and Tyson Chandler agrees with the Phoenix Suns to four-year, $52MM contract) signing elsewhere, the Lakers are starting to run out of options in the gradually thinning free-agency market.
According to Mike Medina of Los Angeles Inside SoCal, the Lakers are now leaning towards re-signing several reliable players who played for them last season, including Lin and Hill.
Lin, who averaged 11.2 points and 4.6 assists in 25 minutes per game during the 2014-15 NBA season, has not ruled out wearing the purple-and-gold jersey again despite a tumultuous stint under head coach Byron Scott. However, analysts believed the selection of Ohio State Buckeyes guard D'Angelo Russell as no.2 overall pick in this year's draft may have already killed the Lakers' chance of getting the former Harvard star.
"Despite a lone season here filled with frustration over his own inconsistency, a fluctuating role and an unconventional offense, a possible Jeremy Lin partnership with the Lakers is not entirely over. The Lakers expressed interest in retaining Lin after free agency began on Tuesday night, according to a league source familiar with the situation," via Los Angeles SoCal.
Aside from the Lakers, the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers also expressed interest in signing the Asian-American standout.
Meanwhile, the Lakers also reached out to Hill after deciding not to exercise a team option on the second year of the player's contract worth $9 million.
Hill, who is now an unrestricted free-agent, is drawing interest from teams looking for frontcourt depth. The former Arizona Wildcats star averaged career-highs 12 points and 7.9 rebounds in 27 minutes per game, but his inconsistency was a major issue last season.
