Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka would surely love to retain Rui Hachimura heading into 2026-27, but it's not economically feasible. Hachimura was wondrous for the Lake Show in the 2026 playoffs, averaging 17.5 points per game on an unconscionable 56.9% from 3. Sam Amick and Dan Woike of The Athletic wrote in recent days that, "Hachimura could be a priority for the Lakers. The 28-year-old is widely believed to want to stay with the Lakers."
But with what money, exactly? The Lakers are already expected to give Austin Reaves max money this summer, and they might be spending significant money on a LeBron James return, too. On top of that, Pelinka has to retool the Lakers' depth by adding an impact center and some serious 3-and-D quality on the wing. Again, I ask, where does Hachimura fit into that equation?
Rui Hachimura is too expensive for Lakers to retain moving forward
Rui made $18.3 million this past season. He's entering unrestricted free agency, and based on the shooting clinic that he just put on in the postseason, someone will probably be willing to overpay Hachimura. Translation: The Lakers won't have much leverage at all, unless Rui, for some reason, wants to take a pay cut at the tender NBA age of 28. Doubtful.
Should Pelinka abandon his potential pursuit of Peyton Watson and other enticing wings and instead pay Rui? Even then, Pelinka might be cash-strapped.
Lakers' Rob Pelinka is faced with an extremely difficult task this offseason
The last thing Pelinka wants to do is "run it back" with a team that was very clearly a full step below the Oklahoma City Thunder (and wouldn't have stood a chance in the second round even with a healthy Luka Doncic), but at the same time, the Lakers were a winning Western Conference squad in 2025-26 -- retaining some continuity might be wise.
That's where the reality gets brutal for Pelinka -- if he wants to pay Reaves and Bron, and if he wants to furnish the roster with some new faces, the Lakers aren't going to have a ton of money left to bring back guys like Hachimura and Luke Kennard.
Pelinka is going to have a lot of tough decisions to make this offseason. How far do you lean in the direction of a complete retool, and how much risk do you introduce by getting rid of too many guys that have already proven reliable in JJ Redick's system? It's going to be a nearly impossible balance to achieve, but that's why Pelinka gets paid the big bucks.
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