Derek Fisher to Rockets: Trade Analysis, Grade and Twitter Reaction

Shockingly, the Los Angeles Lakers chose to trade veteran point guard Derek Fisher ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

The Lakers are sending Fisher and a first-round draft pick to the Houston Rockets in return for reserve big man Jordan Hill, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. He reported the trade via Twitter:

"

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"

Fisher is in his 16th NBA season, all but three of which have been with the Lakers. He's played a part in five NBA championships.

Here's a look at how the sports world is reacting to the news, as well as some analysis for the trade itself.

Twitter Reaction

Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com has mixed feelings about watching Fisher go:

"

As poorly as he has played, the idea of the Lakers trading Derek Fisher is still odd. Always thought he'd retire a Laker.

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) March 15, 2012"

Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times expressed his fond feelings for Fisher:

"

Derek Fisher one of the most professional and graceful athletes I've ever covered

— Mark Medina (@MarkGMedina) March 15, 2012"

Chris Palmer of ESPN.com feels for Lakers fans:

"

Gotta be tough for Laker fans seeing one of their all-time faves shipped out. Farewell, Derek Fisher.

— chris palmer (@ESPNChrisPalmer) March 15, 2012"

Howard Beck of The New York Times doesn't think the trade is going to sit well with Kobe Bryant:

"

Kobe Rage Meter: high RT @Jonathan_Feigen Rockets acquire Derek Fisher for Jordan Hill.

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeckNYT) March 15, 2012"

Renowned NBA blogger Ethan Strauss doesn't seem to care all that much:

"

I'm all about not caring about Derek Fisher

— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) March 15, 2012"

Grade for the Lakers

We can talk all we want about Fisher being a great leader and a true Laker, but the fact of the matter is that this is a deal GM Mitch Kupchak could afford to make.

Basically, what Kupchak managed to do was trade an essentially useless point guard for a player who will provide frontcourt depth. The true loss in this deal for the Lakers is the first-round draft pick, not Fisher.

Coupled with the acquisition of Ramon Sessions from the Cleveland Cavaliers (see ESPNLosAngeles.com report), Kupchak is now looking at a Lakers team that is stronger and deeper than the team he started the day with.

The Fisher trade isn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it's a trade that will help the Lakers in the short-term.

Grade: B

Grade for the Rockets

The Lakers got stronger with this deal, but so did the Rockets. 

As reported by the Houston Chronicle, point guard Kyle Lowry is going to be out of action for a couple weeks with a bacterial infection. As long as he's out, the Rockets are going to need stability at the point guard spot.

Fisher isn't capable of doing much out on the court anymore, but he is nothing if not a stabilizing presence. He'll make sure the Rockets don't fall apart during Lowry's absence, which is something they can ill afford to do given where they are in the Western Conference playoff race.

Considering what kind of player Fisher is at this point in his career, the Rockets did well to get both him and a first-round pick from the Lakers. They got the better end of this deal

Grade: A