The Los Angeles Lakers need length and shooting around Luka Doncic, which Rui Hachimura provides from the power forward and wing spots — though not necessarily for long.
Hachimura played out the final season of his three-year, $51 million deal in Los Angeles in 2025-26. He will become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins at the end of June and head into next season at 28 years of age.
Several contending teams are likely to show interest in Hachimura given his age, skill set and projected salary, including possibly the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs.
Colin Keane of FanSided wrote on Monday, June 8 that the Lakers should be concerned about the Spurs as competition for Hachimura over the coming weeks, referencing the types of lineups San Antonio has opted for most frequently two games into the ongoing NBA Finals against the New York Knicks.
“It’s basically Victor Wembanyama and three, or even four, guards most of the time,” Keane wrote. “Hachimura would fix that size imbalance by giving the Spurs a big body on the wing (and at the 4) who can really stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting. … He’d also provide valuable rebounding, seeing as the Spurs often struggle to keep opponents off the offensive glass due to their lineups.”
Rui Hachimura Should Command Significant Salary Number in Free Agency
GettyRui Hachimura of the Los Angeles Lakers
Hachimura is averaging 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists over the course of his four-year stint in Los Angeles, shooting 51.6 percent from the field on 9.3 shots per night and 41.5 percent on an average of 3.6 tries from behind the arc.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks wrote on May 22 that Hachimura’s market value is four years and $64 million total, which is essentially the same value as the non-taxpayer midlevel exception heading into 2026-27.
Hachimura is the only player in Lakers history to have three straight seasons of at least 40% shooting from 3 on at least 150 attempts. This season, he ranked fifth in the league in 3-point percentage.
And although his scoring dipped from 13.1 points to 11.5 this season, Hachimura shot 51.4% from the field. He and Kevin Durant are the only two players to shoot 50% from the field and 40% from 3 in each of the past three seasons.
Lakers Don’t Necessarily Have to Choose Between LeBron James & Rui Hachimura this Offseason, but Might Anyway
GettyLeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Doncic is under contract through the 2028-29 season, and this summer is all about starting the roster reconstruction around him in earnest.
For most of the last year and a half, the assumption around the league was that the Lakers would be doing so without LeBron James. However, James was so excellent down the stretch of last season as the No. 3 option alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves, then as the No. 1 option in the team’s Round 1 playoff win over the Houston Rockets, that L.A. may now want James back.
But the question is whether the Lakers can truly afford to invest the amount necessary to bring back James’ somewhat redundant offensive skill set as he heads into his age-42 campaign. If James doesn’t retire, Marks said he could command $30 million on a new one-year deal and is probably actually worth more.
The Lakers will prioritize bringing back Reaves on a longterm deal after he opts out and enters unrestricted free agency this summer. After that, L.A. must also consider how it can add a rim-protecting center/lob threat for Doncic moving forward, as that player archetype has proven critical to maximizing Doncic’s success.
Given their other needs, the Lakers could face a decision between James and Hachimura this summer.
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