The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Rui Hachimura in January 2023 to kickstart a team rebuild which ended with them making the Western Conference Finals that season. Hachimura has been a crucial element in the Lakers’ success as a rotational forward who’s had some big moments.
Hachimura is a crucial piece to the Lakers right now after surviving the NBA trade deadline. He revealed on the ‘Beyond the Buzzer’ podcast that he initially was against joining the Lakers.
“That same night, I got a call from my agent again. He said, ‘The Lakers want you.’ And I was like, ‘Lakers? What Lakers?’ Because I never even thought that I’d be a Laker. Right? So I’m like, ‘Wait, what? What? The Lakers?’ I didn’t even know what he was talking about. He’s like, ‘Lakers. You remember the Lakers?’ I was like, ‘They want me?’”
“And I was like, ‘Wait… no, I don’t think so. I shouldn’t do it. No, no, no. That’s too much. Too much pressure. I’m not ready for that.’ I was thinking, ‘I’ll just go to a team where I can earn my minutes, prove myself, and build from there.’ I was like, ‘No, no, no, don’t do that trade.’ My agent said, ‘Are you sure?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t think so. Let me think about it for a day.’”
“The next day, I got on the phone with him again, and he asked, ‘Are you sure you don’t want it? I think this is a perfect fit.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ because at that time, the Lakers were struggling. They were almost last, they had a lot of injuries, and they were trying to make it to the Playoffs. He said, ‘They need you.’ I was like, I’m not sure if I can do it, and he’s like, ‘You can do it. Trust me’. Then boom, the trade happened. I was on the plane to LA the same night.”
Hachimura has become a significant role player for the Lakers since joining two years ago. He’s averaging 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds this season, holding onto his position as a starter so far despite the addition of Dorian Finney-Smith in the winter.
The fact that Hachimura wanted to turn this trade down is pretty surprising considering how big a need he filled for the Lakers. He was on the outs with the Washington Wizards anyway and the Lakers have a tremendous spotlight which would’ve helped Hachimura secure a new contract as he was in the final year of his rookie deal.
He secured his next contract with the Lakers that summer as a reward for the role he played in their 2023 Conference Finals run. He has survived plenty of trade rumors since and has averaged 19.7 points and 5.0 rebounds over the last seven games, proving himself to be indispensable for the franchise.
It’s important to remember that Hachimura was personally struggling at the time. He had taken a mental health absence from the Wizards before that season as well, so the trade to the Lakers revived his career in more ways than one.
He’s averaged 12.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 146 games with the franchise overall and will be hoping to help them make an improbable title run this season after the addition of Luka Doncic to the franchise.
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