Rui Hachimura was an important piece of the puzzle for the Los Angeles Lakers as they rebuilt their team at the trade deadline last year. After starting his professional career with the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles was able to acquire Hachimura ahead of the deadline for Kendrick Nunn and a collection of second-round NBA Draft picks.
In theory, he was a snug fit on the team’s roster, as his offensive versatility and ability to score is crucial alongside the pairing of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. All of that ended up coming to fruition, and Hachimura performed well enough during his stint with the Lakers that reports indicated that the team wanted to do whatever it could to keep him, even though he was slated to become a restricted free agent and had the ability to agree to an offer sheet with a new team. On Friday night, after making some moves with their exceptions, the Lakers agreed to a 3-year, $51 million deal with Hachimura to keep him in L.A.
RFA Rui Hachimura has agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal to return to the Lakers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2023
While Hachimura’s numbers took a bit of a step back once he arrived in Los Angeles — he averaged 9.6 points in 22.4 minutes per game while only connecting on 29.6 percent of his attempts from three — he was able to find his form during the playoffs, which was a major reason why the Lakers found themselves in the Western Conference Finals. During the team’s postseason run, Hachimura averaged 12.2 points per game and hit 48.7 percent of his attempts from behind the three-point line.
The Lakers, who also added Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince on Friday night, now face decisions on D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schröder, with Austin Reaves’ deal (which seems like a mere formality) also still to come.