The Los Angeles Lakers made several moves at the trade deadline in an effort to reinvent the roster. In the process, Los Angeles not only made the roster more talented but added an injection of youth into the franchise as well.
The first move the Lakers made was before the trade deadline when the team traded Kendrick Nunn and multiple second-round picks to the Washington Wizards for Rui Hachimura. Considering the Lakers essentially got those picks back in the Thomas Bryant trade, it was a great pickup for the team.
The 24-year-old forward is averaging 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game with the Lake Show. He is shooting 48.1% from the field and 35.8% from three, which is right around his career average.
Hachimura is a restricted free agent this offseason, giving the Lakers the ability to match any offer sheet that he signs. There is obviously a max in what the Lakers would be willing to pay and thanks to recent NBA rumors, fans can now prepare themselves for what that cap is going to be. Lakers insider Jovan Buha explained what he thinks LA will offer Hachimura in the Hoops Hype podcast with Michael Scotto.
"“I think the Lakers are going to try to retain him […] I think his range is around the non-taxpayer MLE […] I think the Lakers are going to make an offer around $10 million, and if he’s looking for more or another team is willing to come in and make a bigger offer, they might be willing to walk away. They were high enough on him to trade those three second-round picks, and they want to keep him.”"
NBA rumors: Lakers willing to pay Rui Hachimura around $10 million this offseason.
That is a fair contract to give Hachimura after the kind of season he had between the Wizards and Lakers. Considering Kyle Kuzma signed a three-year, $39 million contract back when he was with the Lakers, a three-year deal in the $30-35 million range feels fair for Hachimura.
If some team comes over the top and offers Hachimura a contract in the $18-20 million range then the Lakers would be right to back off. It would be surprising to see another NBA team offer that kind of money for Hachimura but you never know in the NBA. The salary cap is expected to rise in the future and teams with cap space get spend-happy.
This would be such a great contract for the Lakers to sign for a multitude of reasons. First, it is simply nice to see Hachimura stay in LA and continue to work on his game with this coaching and developmental staff. There is a good chance that he has not even scratched the surface of his ceiling yet.
Secondly, having these mid-sized contracts is so important in the NBA. Every six months there seems to be a disgruntled star that wants out and if you are a contender or a team that needs a star you want to be willing to offer 2-3 of these mid-sized contracts to make the money work.
Even if the team doesn’t eventually trade Hachimura, it is nice to have that option with his contract size. Rob Pelinka just has to avoid making another trade like the initial Russell Westbrook deal.