Lakers Trade: Why Derek Fisher Deal Is Addition by Subtraction for Los Angeles

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo is reporting that the Los Angeles Lakers are sending Derek Fisher and a first-round pick (via Dallas) to the Houston Rockets for center Jordan Hill.

In what is one of the unpredicted and not-talked-about trades of the 2012 NBA trade deadline, the Lakers are getting a lot younger at point guard, while getting a lot younger coming off the bench at center and power forward.

Derek Fisher has spent 13 of his 16 years in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, and for Lakers fans it's undoubtedly sad to see him go, but LA is proving that it is focused on doing what needs to be done as it builds for the future.

With the Lakers also trading for Cleveland point guard Ramon Sessions (news via ESPN's Brian Windhorst), they had a logjam at the position. It became evident that either Steve Blake or Derek Fisher needed to be moved.

The Lakers decided it was time to part ways with Derek Fisher instead of Steve Blake, and while Los Angeles will be losing a veteran leader and a guy with an uncanny ability to hit game-winning shots, the Lakers are better without him.

It's addition by subtraction for the Los Angeles Lakers by moving Derek Fisher, and here's why.

Derek Fisher Was the Least Versatile Point Guard on the Roster

With Steve Blake and Derek Fisher both on the depth chart at point guard, it was clear that the Lakers needed to choose which one would get the axe, and choosing Derek Fisher was the right choice.

In 25.6 minutes per game, Fisher was averaging only 5.9 points, 3.3 assists and 2.1 rebounds with a PER of 9.01, which wasn't necessarily helping the Lakers win games in a stacked Western Conference.

While those averages are right around Steve Blake's stats, there's no doubt that Fisher is a true point guard, while Blake has the ability to fit nicely into reserve duty at the shooting guard spot as well.

Sure, Blake won't see much time there, but it was a wise choice for the Lakers to send away the point guard on their roster that is the least versatile of the two.  Steve Blake also happens to be five years younger than Derek Fisher, which is important for Los Angeles as it moves forward.

Fisher, at 37 Years Old, Was Well Past His Prime

As the Lakers move forward as a franchise, the one thing, above all else, that they must do is get younger at the power positions, and that's exactly what they did by sending away Derek Fisher.

Not only did Los Angeles get younger at point guard by sending away the 37-year-old Fisher, but the Lakers also got younger at center by adding Jordan Hill, who has a lot of potential, similar to the kind of potential that Andrew Bynum had in his first few years in the NBA.

For the Lakers, right now youth is a better option moving forward than holding onto a veteran player who's been under-performing over the span of the last two seasons, and that's the move they made.

The Lakers are a very different team than they were even last night, and that's certainly a positive, as they have much younger and much more productive talent at point guard, especially with Derek Fisher gone.

What do you think?  Did the Lakers make the right move by sending away Derek Fisher and a first-round pick for Jordan Hill? 

Weigh in with your thoughts below, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @peteremerick.