It would be easier for the Lakers, in a way, if forward Rui Hachimura was in the midst of a bad year, if his value was tanking and there was not a list of teams with potential interest in him next summer, when he could become a free agent. If that were the case, the team could simply put Hachimura on the trade market now as an expiring contract and bring back some small role-player piece in return.
But Hachimura has done quite the opposite, showing himself to be a valuable member of the starting lineup both as a defender and a shooter who does not need the ball in his hands. Hachimura is averaging 13.3 points while shooting 53.2% from the field and 46.0% from the 3-point line.
The Lakers do not want to trade Hachimura. But they do not want to give him the extension for which he is eligible, worth $114 million for four years at maximum, because the team is intent on keeping its cap space intact, and a deal now (he could sign any time before June 30) for Hachimura would eat into that space. And that puts his long-term situation firmly in limbo.
Rui Hachimura Trade Was a ‘Big Win’ for Lakers
One NBA executive notes that the Lakers have not been shopping Hachimura in trades, and haven’t given much indication of wanting to move him. His expiring salary could be a necessary piece, if a bigger trade is to be made. But that would only be as a salary filler ($18.2 million this year), because teams are not looking to give the Lakers assets for a player whom they could sign in free agency in a few months.
The Lakers have to contend with Austin Reaves‘ free agency, too, but the expectation is that they will re-sign him–again, unless he is part of a blockbuster trade.
“That is their biggest problem that they need to figure out, where they go next,” the executive said. “The Austin Reaves stuff will work out. But Rui Hachimura is a hard decision. That was a big win for them, for Rob (Pelinka). They gave up peanuts for him and he has been really good for that team. Now, it’s like, one of the best trades we made in the last five years, we’re just going to let the guy walk away? That’s a tough one.”
Free Agency, Then a Return to Lakers?
The most likely path for the Lakers is to let Hachimura hit free agency and go from there–see what his market is, and bring him back on a market-level deal once that level is established. The Lakers do have his Bird rights, which buys them flexibility on the timing of a Hachimura re-signing.
Rather than paying Hachimura four years and an average of $28.6 million per year, maybe it falls along the lines of three years and $22 million per year.
“They want to keep him, he is a nice player,” the exec said. “But you don’t want to pay him almost $30 million a year. If you can talk him down to a certain number, maybe they will do (an extension) before the end of June. But the Lakers want to see if they can sign anyone in free agency. And Rui wants to see what kind of money is out there in free agency.”
The Lakers, then, could bring him back in the end.
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