Wouldn't the Los Angeles Lakers love for Rui Hachimura to re-sign with them this summer? Hachimura has never been talked about enough as a pivotal role player for the Lakers during this weird "bridge" period between a LeBron James-led and Luka Doncic-led Lakers franchise. His name often gets lost in the shuffle as fans praise Austin Reaves or blast Deandre Ayton.
But Hachimura was ridiculously good for the Lakers this postseason, and everyone (including all NBA front offices) took notice. Rui took his already-dumbfounding 44.3 percentage from 3 during the regular season (I just checked three times; it's true) and turned it into video game Steph Curry stuff in the 2026 playoffs, shooting a hilarious 56.9% from 3 on nearly six attempts per game.
Such a masterful postseason from Rui came at the perfect time for his wallet, as he's now about to enter unrestricted free agency.
A return to the Lakers is growing increasingly unlikely for Rui Hachimura
After earning $18.3 million in 2025-26, what kind of AAV is Hachimura looking at on the market this summer? One NBA analyst, Bryce Simon, believes Hachimura could land a yearly salary above the estimated $15 million taxpayer midlevel expection (Simon said this during a recent episode of Sam Vecenie's Game Theory podcast).
I'm actually surprised that Hachimura isn't being talked about as a $20 million and up guy. He's still only 28 years old! Anyway, the Lakers-related point here is that Rui's value is substantial (and it became more so during the playoffs), which more than likely places him outside the grasp of LA this summer as general manager Rob Pelinka juggles an impossible cap situation.
Did you just say "impossible"?
Ok ... maybe not impossible ... but extremely difficult, complicated, and messy. Pelinka's job is to build a sustainable contender around Doncic (by surrounding Luka with long, athletic two-way wings ... and by getting a center much better than Ayton), but Pelinka is also looking at a new max deal for Austin Reave and the inevitable return of LeBron. Reaves and Bron together? That's going to be an expensive bill on the Lakers' cap sheet. And thus, their supposed "cap space summer" looks like it'll be a dream deferred to a later date.
It's going to have to be mostly bargain role players around Luka, AR, Bron, and whichever big Pelinka is able to get, not guys whose values are surging (like Hachimura). And why would Rui take a team-friendly deal right now? As aforementioned, he's still on the right side of 30 and has reason to cash in on what'll be the last big-money contract of his playing career.
The writing is on the wall loud and clear: Rui Hachimura will not be wearing a purple and gold uniform next year.
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