The Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed small forward Rui Hachimura, according to NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Hachimura was a restricted free agent, but the Lakers didn’t even let the swingman meet with other teams because they knew they wanted him back.
The Lakers acquired Hachimura from the Washington Wizards for point guard Kendrick Nunn and draft picks this past season. The Gonzaga product averaged 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 33 regular-season games with Los Angeles. The 25-year-old then put up 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in the 2023 postseason versus the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.
Hachimura was on ESPN before Game 4 of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Nuggets on June 9 and the talented scorer talked about his 2022-23 season with the Wizards and Lakers.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Rui Hachimura & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
“The reason why I requested the trade is that I wanted to be somewhere I could be happy and play basketball, that liked me as a basketball player, that believed in me, and the Lakers were one of the teams that was really interested in me,” Hachimura said. “My agent and the team did a good job, and I went to the Lakers, and it was a crazy season for me.”
Even though the Lakers got swept by the Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, it was still a successful season for the LakeShow, who began the campaign 2-10.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Rui Hachimura & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The next step for LA is to re-sign Austin Reaves, who is a restricted free agent, and decide if they want to re-sign D’Angelo Russell, who is an unrestricted free agent. The Lakers have been busy on day 1 of free agency, signing Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince and re-signing Hachimura.
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