Oklahoma City Thunder point guard George Hill is one of the veteran players who is expected to be made available on the trade market before the 2021 deadline. With the team currently focused on the development of their young players, many people believe that the Thunder would strongly consider moving Hill if they received assets that could help them speed up the rebuilding process . In recent months, Hill has already been linked to several teams that are in dire need of a backcourt boost, including the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers may currently be doing well in the 2020-21 NBA season, but they are still expected to continue seeking roster upgrades before the 2021 trade deadline. Hill may not yet be on the downside of his career, but bringing him to Hollywood still makes a lot of sense for the Clippers. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report believes that trading for the veteran point guard wouldn’t only improve their chances of fully dominating the loaded Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title, but it would also help them in convincing Kawhi Leonard to re-sign with the team in the 2021 free agency.
“Remember when Kawhi Leonard asked for a playmaker and the Clippers gave him Luke Kennard and Nicolas Batum? Why do I have a sneaky suspicion that isn’t enough? And oh yeah, Leonard can opt for free agency this summer, so L.A. should not settle for half-step solutions. If Hill doesn’t make it to Hollywood, someone will have likely overpaid to get him. Given his potential impact on the Clippers as a shooter, sharer and serviceable defender, though, and what his arrival might mean both for the club’s championship chances and hopes of retaining Leonard, L.A. should feel justified to overpay for Hill.”
The Clippers shouldn’t mind sacrificing young players like Terance Mann and Daniel Oturu if it means addressing one of the major issues on their roster while also keeping their best player happy. At 34 years of age, Hill remains a reliable contributor on both ends of the floor. This season, he’s averaging 10.9 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN .
Meanwhile, sending the veteran point guard to Los Angeles would also be beneficial for the Thunder. Instead of losing him in free agency without getting anything in return, trading him to the Clippers would allow them to add two promising prospects that could join their young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Darius Bazley, Hamidou Diallo, Kenrich Williams, Isaiah Roby, and Aleksej Pokusevski.
