Derek Fisher Traded: Rockets Acquire Guard From Lakers, Marcus Camby From Trail Blazers

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 17: (L-R)Kobe Bryant #24 and Derek Fisher #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers look on during Game One of the NBA Playoffs against the New Orleans Hornets at Staples Center on April 17, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

HOUSTON -- A person familiar with the deal says the Houston Rockets have acquired center Marcus Camby from Portland and Derek Fisher and a 2012 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in separate trades.

The Rockets are sending point guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a second-round pick to the Trail Blazers and forward Jordan Hill to the Lakers. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

The 6-foot-11 Camby brings a much-needed inside presence to the Rockets, who are 24-20 and currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. Fisher provides depth and championship experience to the point-guard spot. Goran Dragic has started the last four games in place of Kyle Lowry, who's expected to miss 2-3 more weeks with a bacterial infection.

Fisher has spent 13 of his 16 NBA seasons with the Lakers and was part of five championship teams with Kobe Bryant. The Rockets play the Lakers in Houston on Tuesday.

The Rockets have been looking for big men since Yao Ming retired last summer. They were ready to trade Dragic, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin for Pau Gasol before the season, but NBA commissioner David Stern nixed the trade for "basketball reasons" on behalf of the league-owned New Orleans Hornets.

Houston signed Samuel Dalembert on the day after Christmas, and the addition of Camby now forms a formidable frontcourt trio with Scola.

Houston picked up Flynn in a trade with Minnesota last June. Flynn was the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft. He had played more in the last week, after Lowry got sick.

The 7-foot-3 Thabeet has been a bust since the Rockets acquired him in a trade that sent Shane Battier to Memphis last February. Thabeet played a total of 23 minutes this season and had nearly as many fouls (5) as points (6).

Hill scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Houston's 107-87 win over Charlotte on Wednesday night. Hill sat out the Rockets' win in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night with flu-like symptoms and missed nine games between February and March with a right knee sprain.

From our partners

• The 50 Worst Sports Movies - Bleacher Report
• 20 Reasons Baseball Is The Worst - Bleacher Report
• Sports Stars Of The '90s: Where Are They Now? - Bleacher Report

Comments

[bmwracer]

10:08 AM on 03/22/2012

Fish has joined OKC.

Best of luck to him.

[ralle]

11:01 PM on 03/18/2012

The reports are that Fisher has refused to join the Rockets and they are now in negotiations with him to buy out his contract. If he is bought out, he can sign with any team but the Lakers. Clippers maybe?

[gongwenkuan]

07:25 AM on 03/18/2012

Murray is a manager who is adept at calculating ,so his aim about trading fisher and camby is to clear the cap room.

[Luv2Purple]

12:31 PM on 03/17/2012

Derek Fisher is a CHAMPION as a player - 5 rings - and a person. Many great players are never champions and many champs are not great players. DFish was always under rated. After the Lakers won their first championship under PJax, they stumbled the next season (Fish was injured) The fans were grumbling...I told a friend "wait till Fisher comes back and we're at full strength" even though he was never a star. But Derek WAS the heart and soul of this team for years.....when he came back from his injury that year the Lakers went 25-1 and won another title! Thank you Derek for all the wonderful memories and years of leadership and sacrifice. Laker for life no matter what uni you wear.

[Jimmy Boy]

09:35 AM on 03/17/2012

As a Laker fan it's hard to see DFish go.

At the same time they needed to get stronger at the point guard position. DFish was just too old and slow. Sessions will improve their pg position. They also traded Luke and kapanno and gained $9 million in salary cap and got Hill. From a b ball point of view , it was an excellent trade. It's just one that's hard to swallow.

[TheHandyman]

07:18 PM on 03/16/2012

Fisher wasn't the Fisher of old but he deserved to play out the year and retire as a Laker. With the advent of Billy Buss' involvement the Lakers will slowly but surely become a second rate team by the time Kobe hangs it up! Fisher had more class than the Laker owner!

[porscheguy]

07:31 PM on 03/16/2012

Maybe Fisher wanted out.

[TheHandyman]

09:12 PM on 03/16/2012

And maybe he didn't. So how does your comment negate anything I said? Do you have a point?

[kiddub]

07:16 PM on 03/17/2012

He hasn't reported to Houston yet.

[IndependentAndProud]

07:05 PM on 03/16/2012

Fish, we love you and wish you great success during the rest of your playing career. Go give the Houston fans some thrills. Hopefully, you'll return to the Lakers as a coach some day because - though your uniform is red and white now - your heart will always be Purple and Gold.

[Jimmy Boy]

09:41 AM on 03/17/2012

I wish the Lakers would retire Fish's number. He earned it. Kobe and Shaq may have been the driving force behind the championships, but they would not have one them without DFish. How many buzzer shots did Fish hit? He ran the Laker offense for years.

I hope the Lakers honor him by retiring his number. Doubt it will happen but it should.

[RusStyles]

05:16 PM on 03/16/2012

Fish had to go, if not now, then the end of this season. Father times sends every player packing. The Lakes needed a younger, quicker PG; it was their glaring Achilles...He's no Paul, but now the Lakes get to keep Pau. In fact, this works out better...As much as I respect Fish, if the goal is winning another championship, I would have made the same calculated move.

Fish will be fine...I see a successful political career on the horizon...

[bmwracer]

11:55 PM on 03/16/2012

"Fish will be fine...I see a successful political career on the horizon... "

I agree... Fish is a solid person through and through...

Hope he makes L.A. his future permanent home, like what Magic did... And we know what great things he's done for L.A. :)

[Minnehaha]

03:08 PM on 03/16/2012

Clevelanders hated to see Ray Sessions go. He is a better than good point guard, that is getting even better day by day. Good luck Ramone!

[Carmen Madonna Campos]

01:34 PM on 03/16/2012

sorry guys, you're wrong.

it's GAME not a business.
The Legends all played the GAME - pencil pushers run businesses.

[IndependentAndProud]

07:06 PM on 03/16/2012

Doesn't mean that the players are not business men. Ask LeBron James.

[Carmen Madonna Campos]

09:01 PM on 03/16/2012

sorry man, i won't know, been a Laker girl all my life.

[TheHandyman]

07:14 PM on 03/16/2012

Well said!

[vesaversa1]

01:33 PM on 03/16/2012

Well that's settle that Kobe will not play for another championship in LA .The Laker's are cleaning house .

[IndependentAndProud]

07:07 PM on 03/16/2012

Really? It's settled? Oy.

[WesStrikesBack]

12:00 AM on 03/17/2012

We'll get another ring before Boston, and that's all that really counts.

[edenooch]

01:21 PM on 03/16/2012

fisher was big time clutch. hope this sessions guy can do the same

[Carmen Madonna Campos]

01:16 PM on 03/16/2012

the Lakers trade their soul
~Plaschke

[edenooch]

01:22 PM on 03/16/2012

kobe is the soul. fisher was thier conscience

[OutAtFirst]

02:10 PM on 03/16/2012

Hah! After the way he screwed the Jazz?

[LogicalMathMan]

01:11 PM on 03/16/2012

As a Lakers' fan for decades and seeing Dfish not being able to guard the speedy PGs in the league, this move makes sound business sense. Sessions came off the bench for the Cavs and averages over 10 points and 5.2 assists while playing only 24 minutes. Dfish's averages for this season are 5.2 points and 3 assists. In his last two games Dfish had 3 air balls with nobody guarding him. Arguably, Kupchak knew where the Lakers' weakness was. Good to see Walton and Kapono being traded, too.

Often, class and behavior have little to do with trades.

[JacksonHts]

09:31 PM on 03/16/2012

I am not a Laker fan, but thought they strengthened themselves very well. I think Jordan Hill is going to help the Lakers. They didnt get any all stars but Sessions and Hill I think are very excellent additions to what they have.

[Marty Susman]

12:46 PM on 03/16/2012

Please lets remember a few things before we go off at the Lakers front office....
A. L.O. demanded a trade & Mitch & the Baby Buss agreed & did wat he wanted...
B. Fish told Mitch, "I do not want to be a non stater on the Lakers"...
C. Again Mitch did as his player asked & traded Fish...
D. If Fish is that upset, then he should retire & I am 1,000,000% sure the lakers would hire him as an assistant coach tomorrow.....
E. Lastly players make demands all the time, they go from team to team for money & rings so lets be honest here, the Lakers did what was best for the team, the players & the fans.

Is this whole thing a mess, sure it is. Every team sat around waiting for a 26 year old child who had never won a ring, waiting for him to change his mind over & over again while he was effecting every other player in the NBA & for wat ??? When one player can affect the whole NBA there is sure as hell something wrong with the system that the new contract did NOT fix... From the time that LaBron began his treck to the Heat the NBA was on a course that would leed to bad things.This mess will get worse with D12 & Williams unless the owners & the players demand a change & these super stars are stopped from ruining the game forever...