Of the many Lakers’ internal free agents, perhaps the one most likely to find a new home next season is Rui Hachimura.
While Rui has had a handful of successful seasons in Los Angeles, his fit with the team is less than ideal as it stands and he could be the odd man out for the Lakers depending on how free agency plays out.. And if he does hit the open market, then there are going to be many teams lining up for one of the best shooters in the league.
On Saturday, NBA beat writer Jake Fischer reported
that the Nets and Spurs are among the teams interested in Rui in free agency.
Brooklyn keeps coming up as a likely suitor, too, for the Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, league sources say. The Nets and Spurs are two teams we’ve heard have interest in adding Hachimura’s services, while the Spurs are also faced with resolving Harrison Barnes’ future as the veteran forward heads toward unrestricted free agency.
Unfortunately, Rui might cook in San Antonio. The Spurs have plenty of talented guards but lacked the same depth on the wing. Rui could even potentially step into the starting lineup and have a big man in Victor Wembanyama who can help mask some of his deficiencies.
Even if Lakers fans are open to moving on from Rui, it’d hurt to see him go to San Antonio. That’s quite the same in Brooklyn.
It’s really anyone’s guess what the Nets are doing in terms of roster-building. It’s hard to imagine any notable player going there for any reason other than living in New York and/or getting a big contract.
But Brooklyn does have the cap space to offer that big deal. They’ll likely be used as leverage throughout the summer, something Lakers fans are certainly used to, even if they aren’t always serious bidders.
Nevertheless, this shows that, probably unsurprisingly, Rui will have suitors this summer. He did speak about loving his time in Los Angeles. And there have been reports that most expect him to return to the Lakers. But it looks like there’s going to be competition to bring him back, if the front office does indeed go that route.
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