The Los Angeles Lakers added several crucial pieces to the roster around the NBA trade deadline this season. One of those pieces was Rui Hachimura.
The Lakers acquired Hachimura through a trade with the Washington Wizards. Hachimura made an instant impact on the team, and the Lakers will most likely try to re-sign the 25-year-old when he enters restricted free agency this summer. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype recently revealed what Hachimura expects from the Lakers when he negotiates a new contract with the team.
“Rui Hachimura is expected to prioritize years and money in restricted free agency. After trading away three second-round picks to acquire Hachimura, the Lakers would seemingly have optical pressure to match a potential offer sheet, and they clearly value him as a player.”
The Lakers are eligible to make an $8,486,619 qualifying offer for him this summer. Considering Hachimura has established himself as a great wing player for the Lakers in LeBron James’ absence, the franchise will certainly think twice before letting him go elsewhere.
The Lakers Should Keep Rui Hachimura For A Reasonable Contract
So far, Rui Hachimura has played 23 games for the Los Angeles Lakers and has started 9 of them for the franchise. He is currently averaging 10.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 0.6 APG. It is obvious that Hachimura can be a valuable asset for the team for the next few years.
Keeping that in mind, the Lakers can realistically offer him $12-$13 million for, let’s say, three years. If Hachimura likes the offer, he can stay with the team.
Otherwise, if the 25-year-old is unreasonable and he gets a better offer elsewhere, the Lakers can simply avoid matching it. Thus, allowing Hachimura to leave the team and start a new chapter in his career.
After all, the Lakers also have to handle the free agencies of Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell next season. All things considered, the Lakers will be very busy this summer in terms of retaining players from their current roster.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
