The Los Angeles Lakers have done well in free agency. They retained Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell while adding Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish.
On Thursday, July 6, they made all of the deals official when the NBA’s moratorium on free agent transactions ended.
There was some anxiety prior to June 30 that perhaps Hachimura could leave the Lakers. He was expected to command as much as $18 million a year on the open market, and the team had limited resources under the salary cap to work with.
But Hachimura is back on a new contract, and on Thursday he talked about why he decided to stay in the Purple and Gold.
“It’s been great… I love the teammates, the culture, the staff, everything.” Rui Hachimira gives his many reasons why the #Lakers were his obvious choice. pic.twitter.com/Q6C43aFXDC
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) July 7, 2023
Los Angeles landed Hachimura in late January in a trade with the Washington Wizards. He was inconsistent and sometimes even invisible during the regular season, but he stepped things up during the playoffs.
During the team’s unexpected run to the Western Conference finals, he had four games of at least 20 points, and he give it a major boost off the bench.
Whether he continues to come off the bench or becomes a starter this coming season, Hachimura should have room for improvement, as he is just 25 years of age.
