Rui Hachimura Rumors

Rui Hachimura has been extension-eligible since July 6, but it appears that there will be no years added before training camp kicks off, via Jovan Buha of Buha’s Block: “With the current intel I have, I do not expect Rui to be extended by the Lakers in the next six weeks. It’s certainly possible that something happens, but I would say most of what’s been out there is them wanting to keep the books clean and wanting to see whether he starts or whether he’s their sixth man and how the pieces fit this year.”

Lakers Nation

This is not a surprise because as Buha mentions, there has been a mentality shift for the Lakers front office in not tying their books in long-term contracts. Entering a new future with Luka Doncic and new ownership taking over, it appears that they want to keep all options open.

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ClutchPoints: Rui Hachimura training alongside sumo wrestlers in Japan this offseason 😤 (via rui_8mura/IG)

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Dan Woike: Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber and JJ Redick are all here for Luka's pressure.

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The Lakers still have good shooters on the roster with Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura all posting above average numbers from deep. But Shaq believes the Lakers need to add even more shooting, via D.J. Siddiqi of Casinobeats.com: “They have a legitimate big now, got two premier players,” O’Neal said. “I’m still worried about the shooting. It’s a three-point league now. Not guys that can shoot, (I’m talking about) bonafide shooters. Guys that are guaranteed, like JJ Reddick. He was a bonafide shooter. They got the point guard, got the off-guard, got a legitimate center. Their chances are much better now.”

Lakers Nation

Eurohoops: Michael Jordan hosted an exclusive Jordan Brand dinner in Athens, Greece, with many celebrities invited, including Luka Dončić and Rui Hachimura. ( Via Greek Boys)

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Dave McMenamin: Now, I've checked in with both the Lakers and LeBron's camp on this one. For the Lakers, it's business as usual. They have motivation to compete at the highest level and maximize not just LeBron's timeline, but they want to compete now with Luka Doncic. Some have said that the true cause of this situation was the Lakers not offering LeBron a contract beyond next season. But Rich Paul told me that they never asked for one. Paul also made it clear to me that LeBron has not asked for a trade. And Paul hasn't even discussed the possibility of wanting a trade in the future with the Lakers. Paul did tell me that four teams contacted him with interest in trading for LeBron. So now we wait. The Lakers have a full roster to have a decision to make on Shake Milton's contract by July 20th. They also have three expiring contracts in Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, who's here tonight, and Maxi Kleber, plus their 2031 first-round draft pick they can use in trade scenarios. Now, I asked LeBron just before tip off if he'd like to join the broadcast to discuss everything, and he told me, quote, "I ain't got nothing to talk about, guys."

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The only mechanism the Lakers are projected to have in free agency is the taxpayer midlevel exception, worth $5.7 million, because LeBron James is expected to pick up the final year of his contract for $52.6 million, sources told ESPN. On the trade market, Dalton Knecht and the Lakers' 2031 first-rounder will continue to be positive assets the Lakers can include in offers, as well as the expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura ($18.3 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million) and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) as Pelinka searches for a center. Pelinka indicated that Reaves would not be traded when asked about the team's core after the season.

ESPN

Bobby Marks on Lakers: I expect them to be extremely aggressive this offseason, especially with LeBron James, he's got one year left on his contract. I think there are three things here: You've got to take advantage of the $60 million in expiring contracts when you're looking at certainly players like Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura. The second thing is they showed their hand at the trade deadline when they made that Mark Williams trade that wind up failing him on his physical. They are going to go out and get a center this off season. We'll see how that goes. You've got one first-round pick to do to do that. And then the third thing is keep an eye on August 2nd, that is when Luka Doncic is eligible to sign that extension. So you're trying to build for the now, but I think you also have to have an eye for the future when eventually LeBron does retire here.

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This summer, Hachimura is going to return to Japan to give back to his community on the court. He is hosting a three-day summer camp for high schoolers to mirror the type of experience he had that led him to the NBA, he announced on social media:

Lakers Nation

Hachimura is providing 150 Japanese teenagers with the opportunity of a lifetime to receive coaching from him and other top-tier basketball minds for three days. According to the website, the camp includes three days of instruction with one meal provided per day, one free hotel room and a spectator pass for anyone to come watch. Compared to similar camps in the United States, it is relatively cheap as well, costing around $350 for the entire three days.

Lakers Nation

Mike Trudell: JJ Redick on Rui Hachimura: "I thought Rui had an outstanding season, and he was incredibly important to what we were able to do this year. He was a vital cog on both sides of the ball. The games that he missed, it was apparent to the coaching staff how valuable he was. Particularly in the last two games, I thought he played extremely well in the playoffs. I’m excited to see his growth.”

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Edwin Garcia: The Lakers lost to the Wolves 103-96, ending their season. Luka Dončić scored 28 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds, and Rui Hachimura scored 23 points, but Minnesota just killed Los Angeles inside the paint. Rudy Gobert ended the night with 27 points and 24 rebounds.

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Keerthika Uthayakumar: JJ Redick just became the first coach in the play-by-play era to play five players for all 24 minutes of a half in the playoffs. James, Doncic, Reaves, Hachimura & Finney-Smith played the entire second half today.

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