The Los Angeles Lakers traded Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks to the Wizards for Rui Hachimura, and the deal already looks like a steal for LA. Hachimura has blossomed into a 40-plus percent 3-point shooter on the Lakers and helped them reach the conference finals in 2023. He is willing to play any role to help the Lakers win, and the Wizards' return was laughable.
Washington was headed toward a rebuild and didn’t want to pay Hachimura. The only player they took In return was Kendrick Nunn, who hasn’t played in the NBA since that season. The draft picks were the prize. So far, the Wizards selected Tristan Vukcevic with the 42nd overall pick in 2023. There are questions about his future, and the final two picks figure to be near the end of the second round in 2028 and 2029. Washington may ultimately walk away with zero rotation players on their next contending squad from this disastrous deal.
Hachimura is a steady role player who helps the Lakers win. His defensive rebounding must improve, and his future in LA is a question mark, but the franchise is better with him. All they gave up for three-plus years of steady production is three second-rounders and a player on his way out of the league.
Lakers clearly fleeced the Wizards in the Rui Hachimura trade
Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard was fired just months after this deadline deal. Washington had made the playoffs only once in five years and desperately needed a total rebuild. Still, there was no excuse to sell Hachimura for nothing.
Hachimura had the 23rd-best 3-point percentage and finished 86th in win shares per 48 minutes in the 2024-25 season. Those are strong numbers for a role player. The Lakers don’t need Hachimura to handle the ball or be a top offensive option. They have Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves for that. Rui spaces the floor, plays stout defense, and does the dirty work. It is exactly what the Lakers need.
LA gave up D’Angelo Russell and three second-round draft picks for half a season of production from Dorian Finney-Smith. That deal aged poorly as DFS departed in free agency to the rival Rockets, but Russell found a home this offseason. They gave up more to get Finney-Smith, despite starting Hachimura over him. It further goes to show how well Rob Pelinka and the Lakers did in this deal with the Wizards.
Washington under Tommy Sheppard made a ton of head-scratching decisions, and his last trade was one of his worst. If the Wizards get two more picks in the 50s, they will have literally dumped Hachimura for nothing. That is the disaster scenario, and one that is becoming more likely by the day.
Los Angeles Lakers fans have seen that Rob Pelinka knows how to trade. None will be bigger than him fleecing the Mavericks for Luka Doncic, but this deal deserves respect. Pelinka got a key role player for nothing. Making more of those trades will be key as the Lakers try to win a championship with Doncic. Pelinka still has a few aces up his sleeve, so stay tuned.