Sporting News NBA writer Sean Deveney listed the top 15 trade candidates by February 19 trade deadline, and to no one's surprise, the names of Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin and power forward Jordan Hill are among the hottest commodities available on the trading block.

Lin, who is averaging 10.4 points and 4.7 assists in 25 minutes per game, is having the worst campaign since his rookie year as his role continues to diminish under head coach Byron Scott.

After starting the first 20 games of his Lakers career, Lin has seen his playing time drastically cut down by Scott, who appeared more thrilled in fielding tough guy Ronnie Price and rookie Jordan Clarkson than a player he called soft and inconsistent.

Deveney provides an assessment of Lin's current season and its impact on his value this coming summer.

"Lin has had a rough season, and it's happened at a bad time-just ahead of free agency this summer. While some of that has been the result of a bad fit in LA, it's also been Lin's own struggles with his shooting, particularly from mid-range."

The Sporting News analysts very much believes the Lakers will try to unload Lin and his $8M expiring contract, more so if they could get something valuable in the form of draft picks and young talent with great upside.

"He still would make a good backup point guard, and the Lakers would move him if they could get an asset in return, but the market for Lin has been weak."

Unfortunately for the Lakers, Lin's subpar play this season put them in tough position to sell him off, which leaves Jordan Hill as their most enticing trade asset. Hill is projected to miss the next two to three weeks with a quad injury, but his inactivity would not deter any trade discussion involving him.

"That has not stopped the interest in Hill, who is averaging 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds, and can potentially be a free agent next summer because he has a team option in his contract. Hill is out with a quad injury and may not play until the deadline hits, but interest in him will remain high," Deveney stated.