While most expected a new-look Lakers team heading into this season, few expected the team to move on from nearly every free agent on the roster heading into the summer.
Legitimately, Austin Reaves is the only player who elected for free agency that the Lakers re-signed. One of the more surprising players the team let walk away was Rui Hachimura.
While he was a player who had his flaws, he was also someone who wanted to stay with the Lakers and stepped up for the team in the playoffs. Despite that,
LA didn’t show much interest in retaining him, effectively viewing Sandro Mamukelashvili as an upgrade at the position.
Rui’s desire to stay in Los Angeles led to him signing with the Clippers. After his early return to Crypto.com Arena this season, Rui reflected on his free agency with Khobi Price of the California Post.
“It was tough,” Hachimura told The Post about his free agency. “That’s my second free agency. Of course I was trying to get the extension from [the Lakers]. It didn’t work out, but it is what it is. We have to move on at some point.”
He later reiterated to Price that the decision was ‘on them’ and that ‘It wasn’t me. It was them.’ It’s very clear, then, that he wanted to stay in the purple and gold and the Lakers did not want to continue that partnership.
As much as he became a fan favorite — and was a favorite teammate of multiple Lakers still on the roster — the job of a front office is to make tough decisions separate from how fans may feel. They need to be objective in their decision-making and not let feelings get in the way.
The team’s desire to go the route of players who can dribble, pass and shoot means Rui didn’t fit their needs as much anymore. Would he have been a nice player to keep around? Certainly. But even through five games, it’s clear he doesn’t fit what the Lakers want to do this season.
Perhaps the only surprise is that the Lakers weren’t interested in working out a sign-and-trade, which Price reported that Rui’s camp pursued. It was also initially reported by Shams Charania of ESPN when the news of Rui signing with the Clippers. The team wasn’t interested in the cap gymnastics, so they let Rui go across the proverbial hall to the Clippers.
It was a tough call by the Lakers and a tough moment for Rui, but one that the team believes will make them better in the long run.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
