NBA Free Agency: Should Orlando Magic Consider Jordan Hill?
Jordan Hill has evolved into a strong defender and good post scorer and Adrian Wojnarowski’s sources indicate the Los Angeles Lakers are not going to exercise their option on him.
Jordan Hill was drafted No. 8 overall in the 2009 draft — and some six years hence, he has certainly shown at least some of the brilliance that caused him to be the New York Knicks lottery selection that year.
Hill did not start making major contributions until the last two seasons, but last year he started 57 games for the Lakers (appearing in 70) while boasting averages of 12 points and eight boards per game.
Though Hill is a starting caliber big man, at age 28 his upside is limited. He is unlikely to become much better than he has been, but he is a player that the Magic could benefit from. Even if the team drafts big, Hill still would help fill out a rotation that was chronically weak throughout the 2015 season.
The frontcourt consistently was the biggest wound in Orlando’s defense, and while Hill is not a major defensive playmaker (just 1.2 steals/blocks per game), he does body up well and plays hard. That cannot be understated on a team that was consistently abused by both 4s and 5s.
To be clear, Hill is obviously far from the kind of addition that reverses a team’s fate on his own. But the Magic need tough defensive big men, and if Kyle O’Quinn does not return, all the more so.
The thing is, Hill could come with a hefty price tag. He was owed $9 million next season, and with humble numbers the Lakers felt that money would be best used in working on another free agent. Some team will benefit from that call, but to what extent he may be paid is pretty murky.
Hill certainly fills a useful role even within a contending rotation, but teams know what they are getting and he is certainly not going to get as much money as a young big like Tristan Thompson (whose upside is still largely to be realized).
Many may simply decide the Magic are best off rolling with Aaron Gordon, Dewayne Dedmon, Channing Frye and whichever big the team selects in the Draft if they go that route. But that is a very optimistic outlook for a rotation that failed to deliver for an entire season essentially.
To rely only on internal progress is what leaves teams winning 68 games in the course of three seasons. At some point some productive vets need to be considered, and to be sure Frye was not that. Nor was Ben Gordon. Or Luke Ridnour.
Hill could be.
True, Gordon and Dedmon are both improving — but Hill is an established talent and has already proven he can defend consistently while avoiding foul trouble. That last key factor cannot be said about either of the Magic’s youthful options. Both had trouble keeping their hands out of the cookie jar.
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There are a lot of reasons to belittle a signing like Hill, but at this point the Magic could benefit from his energy, size and his overall strength around the hoop. Troubling is his 45.9 percent shooting, but that figure had hovered at 50 percent for his entire career prior to this year’s disaster in L.A.
The Lakers were horrible, so to draw an inference based on this season’s weaker shooting may not hold much water. Hill would benefit from playing with two guards in Orlando capable of making plays, as well as from Nikola Vucevic attracting the other big man to open up looks for Hill around the bucket. He has value, which will be seen in free agency.
The price tag will likely be between $7-$9 million, and if Orlando wants to get a veteran who can bang down low and add some experience to the roster, it’s a good way to go.
It is worth noting that if the Magic draft Kristaps Porzingis or Willie Cauley-Stein, they may not want to chase a middle-tier free agent whose presence would interfere with their progress.
At this point, it is really just worth noticing that Hill is likely on the market and his services would have helped last season at the very minimum. The roster is still subject to a lot of renovation, but all options must be evaluated to some degree.