There was a point in the offseason where it looked like Rui Hachimura might become the only other major free agent to return to the Los Angeles Lakers beyond Austin Reaves. Hachimura did end up staying in the city. He just moved across town to join the Los Angeles Clippers.
Hachimura was someone the Lakers should have held interest in bringing back, considering Luka Doncic gave him the nod of approval as a player he wanted to see return to the franchise. Rui chose a different route. The 'top priority' he cited for that decision was as confusing as one could imagine.
"My top priority was winning. The roster construction, the team organization, and their style of play altogether — the Clippers felt like they gave me the best opportunity. ... Having this new experience is going to be a lot of fun."
If winning was front and center of what Hachimura was looking for, he picked the wrong Los Angeles team. The Lakers should be in the mix to challenge some of the best teams in the West when the season starts. The Clippers, meanwhile are undergoing a retool and youth movement.
Rui Hachimura picking the Clippers with the desire to win makes no sense
Perhaps there is an overstatement in just how much that top priority separated itself from the others. If winning was what matters most, Hachimura would have offered the Lakers a hometown discount in an effort to reunite with the franchise.
Rui would have been a natural fit in a Luka-led future with his ability to space the floor, generate supportive offense, and guard other team's forwards. There are definitely layers to this decision which, in all fairness to Hachimura, the former Laker did hint at.
In that same video, Rui talked about expecting a slightly different role with the Clippers by comparison to what he was doing with the Lakers. His new Los Angeles team still wanted him to lean on his elite shooting ability, but Hachimura would also get an opportunity to do more cutting. That was something the Japanese forward expressed he did not have enough of in 2025-26.
Finding a way to retain Hachimura would have given the Lakers a clear solution to their starting forward problem that continues to follow them until today. Rui was a proven fit, too.
Instead, the Lakers will compete against Hachimura without even needing to leave the city next season. Barring something completely unexpected, most of those matchups should come with the his old franchise arriving for those head-to-heads with the superior winning record.
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