Unfortunately for the Lakers, the 39-year-old decided to sign with the division rival Los Angeles Clippers instead. It appears that the Clippers may have been more willing to sign Hill to a longer deal and potentially more salary.
Reportedly, Hill has agreed to sign a two-year deal with the Clippers according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports via Twitter:
Y! Sources: The Los Angeles Clippers are finalizing a two-year deal with free agent Grant Hill. tinyurl.com/7aza5xf
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 17, 2012
Along with offering two years opposed to one from the Lakers, Hill may have been convinced to sign a new deal with the Clippers after learning about the potential acquisition of Antawn Jamison. Even though Jamison is traditionally a power forward, he may have hurt the prospect of playing time for Hill.
Another aspect of the proposed two-year deal is the fact that it may turn out to be a sign-and-trade situation with the Phoenix Suns.
With the addition of Hill, the Clippers continue to improve their squad from top to bottom. As if acquiring Lamar Odom, Jamal Crawford and re-signing Chauncey Billups weren’t impressive enough, the signing of Hill makes the Clippers extremely deep on the bench with the veteran’s ability to play shooting guard and small forward.
Even though Hill will turn 40-years-old before the start of next season, the former Phoenix Sun continues to play the game at a high level and will almost certainly help the Clippers become an even stronger force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.
Despite the acquisition of Nash and the possibility of landing Dwight Howard in a blockbuster trade, the Lakers will have their hands full in the Pacific Division trying to compete with a reloaded Clippers squad that continues to make all the right moves in their attempts to become a legitimate NBA title contender.