Roy Hibbert Traded to Lakers for Future Second-Round Draft Pick

The Lakers and Pacers have completed a trade to send center Roy Hibbert to Los Angeles in exchange for a future second-round draft pick, per the Pacers.

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird had some parting words for his former center, per the team:

"

"I’d like to thank Roy for all his contributions during his time in Indiana," said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. "He was a two-time NBA All-Star, and we appreciate everything he did for our franchise both on and off the court."

"

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports originally reported on July 4 that both sides were finalizing a deal that would send Hibbert to the Lakers. 

On June 25, Grantland's Zach Lowe was among the first to report Hibbert will pick up his player option for the 2015-16 season. According to Spotrac, he's due to make a little over $15.5 million.

In keeping with Newton's third law of motion, the Pacers' equal and opposite reaction was to reportedly put the 28-year-old big man on the trade block, per Stein:

Hibbert's stock has fallen precipitously ever since the Pacers' second-half swoon in 2013-14. Whereas he looked like a potential Defensive Player of the Year contender to start that season, the two-time All-Star went anonymous during the playoffs, averaging 9.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game.

In 2014-15, the Pacers were better when Hibbert was off the court. Their offensive rating jumped from 99.8 to 101.8, while their defensive rating actually improved slightly from 101.1 to 100.7, per NBA.com.

Now on a Lakers team that failed to land any of its top free agent targets, Hibbert will have a chance to anchor the paint and provide a defensive presence while making a name for himself as a formidable big man once again.