Lakers Deal Derek Fisher and First-Round Pick to Houston for Jordan Hill

The L.A. Lakers have ended an era by shipping off their long-standing point guard Derek Fisher to the Houston Rockets. 

Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Lakers have sent their veteran guard and a future draft pick to the Rockets for power forward Jordan Hill.

"

Let's fix this: The Lakers have traded Derek Fisher and a 2012 first-round pick (via Dallas) for Jordan Hill, league sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 15, 2012"

Lakers fans will have to say goodbye to an athlete that was as classy as he was clutch. Fisher left Los Angeles in 2004 for free agency, but would later return and run the offense on another championship team. It certainly looks like we've seen the last of Fisher in the purple and gold, making this exit even tougher to stomach. 

There are few players that connect with fans like Fisher did. From his shot with .4 seconds remaining in the 2004 playoffs to the way that he kills himself to get to loose balls, he was truly a Lakers treasure.

The move had to be done when you consider where this team is headed and how the lack of depth at point guard would have hindered them for the rest of the season.

Jordan Hill comes in as a rotation player coming off the bench that can ease workload of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. He will eat minutes and give the team some mid-range offense. It is a small tweak to a team that has their sights set on another title.

Fisher's defensive liabilities were just too much for a team with as lofty expectations as the Lakers. 

Derek Fisher is going to the Houston Rockets, but he will always be a Laker.

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