Lakers Rumors: Grant Hill Would Be Good Fit in Los Angeles

Grant Hill is reportedly inching towards Los Angeles.

And the veteran small forward would be a great fit with the Lakers.

John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR in Phoenix tweeted on Friday:

"

Hearing Grant Hill leaning towards Lakers after big push by Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo620) July 13, 2012"

Hill, age 39, certainly isn't the athletic dynamo he was back in the day. Age, as well as injuries, have slowed him down.

But Hill would bring depth to the Lakers, not to mention defense and leadership.

The Lakers currently have Metta World Peace and Devin Ebanks on the roster. Unrestricted free agent Matt Barnes is not expected to be brought back to the team.

The Lakers need some stability behind World Peace. Hill—who has also been linked to the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder—would be able to provide that for them.

You won't be getting a lot of offense with Hill. He shot 44.6 percent last season—his worst since the 2001-2002 campaign—and he shot 26 percent from downtown.

But you will be getting defense. Despite losing some quickness and athleticism, Hill is still a very heady, lengthy defender, and he can guard multiple positions on the floor (much like Barnes). The Phoenix Suns matched him up with some of the great stars of the game as recently as last season.

Hill has also appeared in the playoffs seven times during his 17-year NBA career, most recently in the 2009-2010 season.

The Lakers held opponents to 43.7 percent shooting from the floor last season, ninth-best in the NBA. Hill will add to the defense on the perimeter, and he won't turn the ball over much on offense (he averaged 1.3 turnovers in 28 minutes per game last season).

The Heat were prime contenders for Hill's services before James Jones announced he would be returning and they signed Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Now, it's looking like Oklahoma City is Los Angeles' main competition for the veteran.

But don't be surprised if Hill follows Nash from Phoenix to L.A.

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