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After sitting back and remaining quiet for much of the opening weekend of free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers appear to be swooping in now with the market drying up.
The Lakers reportedly met with Dion Waiters on Sunday evening and have begun giving “strong consideration” toward Rajon Rondo, both on one-year deals.
Nearly player exactly inspires a load of confidence, especially on one-year deals. Rondo has had his fair share of run-ins with head coaches while Waiters is a high-usage volume shooter that would be a questionable fit with the Lakers.
A player who wouldn’t be a questionable fit for the Lakers and checks a whole bunch of boxes would be George Hill. After spending last season bouncing between on the court and injured, the Jazz traded for Ricky Rubio to clear up the point guard spot for the future, leaving Hill out to dry.
With teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets already landing upgrades at the point guard position and a team like the San Antonio Spurs still looking for ways to clear cap space, the Lakers landed a meeting with the veteran guard on Monday.
Free agent George Hill and reps are meeting with the Lakers today in Los Angeles, discussing a one-year deal, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 3, 2017
Hill, who just turned 31 in May, averaged 16.9 points, 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds last season for the Jazz on 47.7 percent field goal and 40.3 percent three-point shooting. Despite having a usage percentage of 23.5 percent, Hill is used to playing off the ball after spending most of his career next to Paul George and Gordon Hayward.
Hill would also represent a big upgrade defensively for the Lakers, checking off seemingly every box the Lakers would be looking for in a point guard next to newly-acquired Lonzo Ball.