The Los Angeles Lakers took a one-year gamble on former All-Star big man Roy Hibbert and things did not go as well as either side hoped. Hibbert couldn’t do nearly enough to help the Lakers woeful defense and was almost a non-factor offensively.
With the Lakers drafting Ivica Zubac with the 32nd pick and signing Timofey Mozgov at the outset of free agency, it became pretty clear that Hibbert’s time in Los Angeles was likely up.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical Hibbert has agreed to a deal with the Charlotte Hornets:
Free agent center Roy Hibbert is finalizing a deal with the Charlotte Hornets, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 4, 2016
According to Wojnarowski, Hibbert’s deal was for one-year and worth $5 million:
Sources: Charlotte, Roy Hibbert agreement: One-year, $5M.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 5, 2016
Unfortunately for Hibbert and the Lakers his time in Los Angeles as far as on the court was a disappointment. The Lakers traded for Hibbert last summer after failing to reach an agreement with a big man in free agency in hopes of revitalizing the former All-Star.
Hibbert, however, was never able to get it going as he averaged the fewest points of his career, and the fewest rebounds and blocks since his rookie season. While it would be unfair to pin the Lakers’ defensive issues solely on him, as he was many times the victim of lack of rotation and guards getting beat, he did not make enough of an impact on that end to offset his lack of offensive output.
That being said, Hibbert was a class act throughout the entire season with the Lakers despite the constant losses and was arguably the most publicly supportive of the Lakers’ young core last season. Hopefully he is able to revive his career in Charlotte.