On Monday, it was reported that the Los Angeles Lakers put together a package to acquire 24-year-old forward Rui Hachimura.
The Lakers are giving up multiple second-round picks along with guard Kendrick Nunn to get the deal done.
Based on an update on the matter, it does not look like the Lakers plan on just having Hachimura for the 2022-23 season. The team reportedly intends to sign him to a contract extension this summer.
The Lakers traded for Hachimura with the intention of signing him to an extension this summer, sources tell ESPN. Hachimura can be a restricted free agent. https://t.co/TAdM1h8iAH
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 23, 2023
This report certainly supports the belief that the Lakers’ priority is to make moves that will improve their roster over the next few years. Though Hachimura is not the kind of player that will greatly improve the ceiling of his team, he is a very valuable role player.
So far this season, Hachimura has come off the bench in all 30 of his appearances. In those games, he’s put up 13.0 points per game. Beyond that, Hachimura will be turning 25 years old next month and figures to still have some room to grow before he hits his prime years.
If he does indeed sign an extension with the Lakers, he could be a great role player for the team for many years to come.
The question for Lakers fans is now whether or not the team will continue to make moves prior to the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
It is no mystery that Lakers star LeBron James and other core members of the roster want the team to trade its future first-round picks to land some serious talent. It is also no mystery that the front office has been very hesitant to mortgage the future of the franchise by trading away those picks.
But with the Lakers in striking distance of a playoff spot, fans are certainly curious about whether Rob Pelinka and company are reconsidering everything.
Thanks in part to the Hachimura deal, the Lakers have a handful of really solid players in the frontcourt. If they were to now add a couple of shooters, the rest of the league would have to take notice.
