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NBA free agency rumors: Roy Hibbert to sign with Charlotte Hornets

By John Buhler

January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert (17) during the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert (17) during the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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After one year in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers, veteran center Roy Hibbert comes back east to join the Charlotte Hornets for one year.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical of Yahoo! Sports, “free agent center Roy Hibbert is finalizing a deal with the Charlotte Hornets.”

After spending the 2015-16 NBA season with the lowly Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference, it seems that Hibbert will get another crack in the Eastern Conference with the 2016-17 Hornets.

Hibbert had his best seasons playing for the Indiana Pacers. He was a two-time Eastern Conference All-Star in 2012 and in 2014. For seven seasons, Hibbert was an integral part of the Pacers’ starting front court, helping Indiana get to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014.

However with the league-wide adaptation of small ball principles, arguably no player has been more marginalized by going small Hibbert was in the last two seasons. Though a decent free throw shooter for a seven-footer (career 75.3%), Hibbert lacks the foot speed and really any offensive range to play when teams choose to go small.

While Hibbert started 81 games for the 2015-16 Lakers, that team was the worst in franchise history with only 17 wins all of last season. It seemed inevitable that Hibbert wasn’t going back to the Lakers in 2016 NBA free agency and it was going to be interesting to see where he would end up.

Charlotte is one of the better situations for him to land this summer, as Hornets head coach Steve Clifford is a great defensive-minded coach and Charlotte has to find a player to replace the departed Al Jefferson, who just signed a multi-year deal with the Pacers.

Let’s not forget that in Charlotte Hibbert would have that Georgetown Hoyas center connection with former Hoyas star and basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, who is Clifford’s top assistant on his Hornets staff. This could be a good buy-low move for the Hornets if Ewing can get Hibbert out of his funk and back to changing games as an elite rim protector for a playoff caliber team.

For more NBA free agency news, please check out our NBA free agency category page.

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