With the Lakers in the mix of midseason trade rumors, it’s becoming clearer which of their players are potentially available versus which ones are not. Numerous reports had pinned several rotation players as trade pieces, though an insider says the team may prefer to keep one over the others.
Lakers Rumors: Young Forward Viewed as “Longer-Term Piece”
Hachimura Here to Stay?
On Monday, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha pointed out how the team may be less likely to part ways with Rui Hachimura compared to players on midsize salaries, namely D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Max Christie and Jarred Vanderbilt:
“My read on Rui is that he is someone the Lakers have talked about as a longer-term piece. When going back to the summer, some of the buzz from team personnel and league personnel, it was always Austin, Rui, Dalton, and Max, and a little bit of JHS—but I think they’ve since changed course on JHS. So, I think Rui is viewed as a longer-term piece. I don’t think that means they would not trade him, but … there are four midsize salaries that the Lakers can trade between now and January 15th. On January 15th, Max Christie becomes available, so then it becomes five, but between now and Jan. 15, the Lakers have four midsize salaries to trade. That’s Rui, D’Lo, Gabe [Vincent], and Vando. I think among those four, the guy that they’d prefer to keep from that group would be Rui.”
He added how head coach JJ Redick’s “trust” in the 26-year-old forward helps his case, but not before adding an important caveat:
“For a guy like Cam Johnson, I think the Lakers would consider that [trading Hachimura].”
Rui’s Importance to the Lakers
In 21 games—all starts—Hachimura has averaged 12.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game on .485/.443/.810 splits. He missed four games due to a right ankle sprain, and the Lakers clearly missed his presence. But, Hachimura has been productive in his return, putting up 12 PPG on .560/.367/.789 over his last ten games.
Redick has sung Hachimura’s praises throughout the season, recently raving about him in a postgame press conference:
“He’s responded to every challenge we’ve given him… He’s been our most consistent player just in terms of what we’ve asked him to do and then going out and executing it. He’s been a pleasure to coach. He’s been a pleasure to be around every day. And we really missed him when he was out.”
“Even when you watch tape, even the stuff off the ball he does the right thing more often than not… He’s just like more consistent in terms of what we’re asking a guy to do, in terms of his role, his responsibilities, our system, our schemes. Does it without a complaint, like he’s awesome to coach.”
In a time when the Lakers frontcourt has struggled to get into a rhythm, Hachimura’s consistency has been vital as of late. He has emerged as a reliable threat on both sides of the ball, being versatile enough to score from all three levels and defend numerous positions. The Lakers trusted Hachimura enough to grant him a three-year, $51 million deal this offseason, and he’s remained a fixture in the starting five even with a coaching change.
With how Hachimura has played so far, it’s perfectly reasonable why the Lakers want to keep him around. He’s one of a handful of players on a decent multi-year contract, though he’s quickly proven himself as a core part of Redick’s rotation. The added consistency and overall fit within the roster certainly helps as well.
However, as the Lakers become aggressive on the trade market with very few assets to boot, they essentially have two options: find a deal that fixes the roster’s holes while keeping Rui, or move on from the sixth-year forward for a legitimate upgrade (e.g. the aforementioned Cam Johnson). It appears LA would prefer the former option, and rightfully so. Hachimura’s name will still pop up in rumors, but—barring a major trade by the Lakers that nets a significant return—the forward’s positive standing is an encouraging sign for his future in LA.
