Getty Rui Hachimura with Los Angeles Lakers teammates.
The Los Angeles Lakers were a sinking ship before a couple of trades saved their season. One player who contributed to the turnaround was fourth-year power forward Rui Hachimura.
After his impressive playoff run, he could be sought after in free agency. Though he hasn’t committed to the Lakers, he dropped hints about where he’d play to play next season.
“The reason why I requested the trade [from the Washington Wizards] is that I wanted to be somewhere I could be happy and play basketball, that liked me as a basketball player, that believed in me, and the Lakers were one of the teams that was really interested in me,” Hachimura said on the June 9 episode of ESPN’s “Hoop Streams.” “My agent and the team did a good job, and I went to the Lakers and it was a crazy season for me.”
The Lakers were 22-25 and out of the Western Conference’s playoff picture when they acquired Hachimura from the Wizards for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks. After the trade, the team went 21-14. In 33 regular-season appearances with L.A., Hachimura averaged 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds a game in 22.6 minutes. But in the playoffs, he was the team’s fifth-leading scorer (12.2 points per game) as the Lakers advanced to the conference finals, where they lost to eventual NBA champs the Denver Nuggets.
“Back at that time, we didn’t even know we were going to make the playoffs,” said Hachimura, who was the ninth overall pick in the 2019 draft. “So we made the playoffs and the playoff run was pretty good, we lost to Denver but it was pretty good for us. I don’t know my future but I just want to be somewhere I can be happy. The Lakers have been good and we’re going to see.”
Should the Los Angeles Lakers Re-Sign Rui Hachimura?
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said “all indications” point to the Lakers signing Hachimura, 25, in an effort to put much of the same conference finalist roster back on the floor together in 2023-24.
“[Lakers general manager Rob] Pelinka has gone on the record saying [they would do] and keep this team together,” Windhorst said on the June 5 episode of “Get Up.” “That would mean re-signing Rui Hachimura, re-signing Austin Reaves and potentially re-signing Lonnie Walker.”
As a restricted free agent, the Lakers have some leverage. Sporting News’ Steven Noh predicted Hachimura will get a contract worth $10 million to $20 million a year, far below the max contract of $33 million that he’s eligible for.
“Hachimura won’t earn that kind of money, but his earning potential is high enough that the Lakers could be put in a tough bind in deciding whether to match an offer from another team,” Noh wrote in a story published May 22. “The most likely outcome is that he returns to the Lakers.”
And Alex Kirschenbaum of Sports Illustrated’s All Lakers wrote on May 4 that the Lakers can “ill afford to let him walk for nothing this summer.”
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pinchus also pointed to a potential return to the Lakers for Hachimura, writing the restricted free agent market was “tight” and that Hachimura would likely sign in the $13 million to $16 million range.
The Los Angeles Lakers Need to Stay Young
In 2021-22, the Lakers went old when it came to roster construction and it was a disaster, missing the playoffs altogether. They got younger this year and it led to a much better season.
Pelinka said he wanted to keep the “young core” together.
“We have a lot of great young players. We want to do our best to fit the puzzle together,” Pelinka said, according to a May 23 story in The Los Angeles Times. “We want to fit the puzzle together in a way that’ll help us compete for championships.”