Rui Hachimura

The Washington Wizards have traded forward Rui Hachimura to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package of draft picks, multiple people with knowledge of the deal ...

Nunn, 27, never found a consistent and productive role with the Lakers this season after missing the 2021-22 campaign with a knee injury. “He has proven to be a valuable contributor during his young career.” This swap would reunite Hachimura with several former Wizards teammates: Westbrook, with whom he developed [a close relationship in Washington](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/04/02/rui-hachimura-russell-westbrook-tutor/?itid=lk_inline_manual_29), as well as Thomas Bryant and Troy Brown Jr. “Adding both size and depth to the wing position has been a goal, and the chance to accomplish that by acquiring a player with Rui’s two-way skills and upside was an opportunity that doesn’t present itself often,” Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka said. Unseld’s preferred lineup features Daniel Gafford at center and Kristaps Porzingis at power forward, leaving Hachimura and third-year forward Deni Avdija, a lottery pick in 2020, jostling for minutes off the bench. Hachimura addresses a clear need for Los Angeles, which has been seeking size and athleticism on the wing all season. 9 trade deadline approaches, even as Washington has signaled its intention to keep its third-leading scorer, according to multiple people around the league. “We wish him the best as he begins a new chapter in Los Angeles.” Retaining all three players would push Washington close to paying the luxury tax, which owner Ted Leonsis has done only once since taking over the franchise in 2010. [criticized the team’s roster construction](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/10/19/lebron-james-steph-curry/?itid=lk_inline_manual_12) on opening night. With the Hachimura deal, the Lakers were able to add a rotation player without sacrificing one of their two tradable future first-round picks, which could be used to make additional deals before the Feb. 9 pick in the 2019 draft, struggled to fully blossom during four seasons with Washington.

The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring former lottery pick Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and a package of ...

Hachimura equaled a career high with 30 points for the Wizards on Saturday in his final game before the deal. Hachimura will be reuniting with penetrating guard Russell Westbrook, his teammate in Washington during the 2020-21 season. Hachimura is hitting 34% of his 3-point shots this season after hitting 44.7% last season, but he excels in the catch-and-shoot situations that are often created for James' teammates by his penetration and playmaking. Washington is 20-26 after signing star guard Bradley Beal to a big contract in the offseason, and the Wizards were 1 1/2 games behind the final play-in spot heading into Monday's games. ... I just want to be somewhere that believes in me and I can be myself. At 22-25, they’re in 12th place in the Western Conference, but entered Monday just two games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the No.

Los Angeles will reportedly send Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks to Washington.

Nunn plays only 13.5 minutes a night, and is superfluous in a guard rotation involving [Dennis Schröder](https://www.si.com/nba/player/dennis-schroder), [Russell Westbrook](https://www.si.com/nba/player/russell-westbrook), Austin Reaves and [Patrick Beverley](https://www.si.com/nba/player/patrick-beverley). It’s never great to be in a position to cut bait with a lottery pick. It’s a bad spot to be in for the Wizards. At least Washington seems to be in a realistic place about the roster moving forward, which is to say thinking about the long term as opposed to this season. My only real caution here—and it’s small—is the Lakers don’t have a plethora of chips to move around. And ultimately, the Lakers need all the rotation help they can get, especially when it comes to size and athleticism. Los Angeles [acquired forward Rui Hachimura](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35511046/sources-lakers-nearing-deal-wizards-rui-hachimura) from the Wizards on Monday, [per multiple reports](https://www.si.com/nba/2023/01/23/wizards-trade-rui-hachimura-lakers-kendrick-nunn-draft-picks). This grade more so reflects not being able to get it done with Hachimura than this trade itself, which for the Wizards is nothing more or less than a definitive “Meh.” The Lakers will send Washington guard [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.si.com/nba/player/kendrick-nunn) and three second-round picks in the deal. [Anthony Davis](https://www.si.com/nba/player/anthony-davis). [Lakers](https://www.si.com/nba/team/los-angeles-lakers) are finally making moves. Still, his athleticism should be a nice fit in the frontline, and he can play alongside Davis whenever he returns.

As expected, NBA Twitter reacted to the news, with some tweets directed at LeGM, aka… LeBron James. Rui Hachimura is headed to ...

It's hard to judge young players in losing situations with star teammates who don't elevate anyone. 8 tweets!! the hachimura ain’t worth no 8 woj tweets. and Thomas Bryant — off the bench. One of the reasons the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook was the season he had in Washington. [January 23, 2023]

After waiting and waiting and waiting, the Lakers have reportedly finally pulled the trigger on a trade this season, sending out Kendrick Nunn for Wizards ...

[chips away at a good chunk of their draft capital](https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/22932237/lakers-future-nba-draft-picks-trades-swaps), while Kendrick Nunn is one of only a few contracts the Lakers could realistically trade. You can follow Jacob on Twitter at [@JacobRude](https://twitter.com/JacobRude). Ultimately, considering his price, his potential and the fact the Lakers could have him under contract moving forward, it’s a risk that makes plenty of sense. Considering how long they’ve sat back and calculated things this season, it should be a decision that has plenty of thought behind it. [with Kings, Mavericks and Bucks all reportedly interested in him](https://www.bulletsforever.com/2023/1/23/23567701/nba-trade-rumors-washington-wizards-trade-rumor-rui-hachimura-bucks-mavericks-kings). This deal would be the third trade the two sides have completed in the last three years, [one to help clear cap space in the summer of 2019](https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2019/6/27/18761492/lakers-free-agency-news-moe-wagner-trade-wizards-anthony-davis-kicker-max-cap-space?fbclid=IwAR2SrUL8VmqoGJ_jSpya-UxMw_ZiOto82YHkW_tJEYeNPOAwD0CLT5jENwQ) and the [other being the Russell Westbrook deal](https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2021/7/29/22600185/lakers-trade-rumors-russell-westbrook-washington-wizards-deal-contract-free-agency). Hachimura now joins LeBron James and Wenyen Gabriel as the only non-centers on the Lakers roster listed taller than 6’6”, giving them size they’ve desperately needed on the wing. 9 overall pick, out of the starting lineup and out of the future plans for the franchise. [Hachimura was coy in his responses when asked about his future](https://www.bulletsforever.com/2023/1/23/23567398/rui-hachimura-washington-wizards-postgame-interview-trade-rumors) in Washington and whether he had requested a trade. Hachimura is a forward that has struggled to find his footing in Washington at times but still has been statistically productive. “We are excited to welcome Rui and his family to the Los Angeles Lakers,” said Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka in the team’s statement. [Lakers](https://www.silverscreenandroll.com) are finally making a trade.

The Lakers have acquired Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks.

It helps you get through the tough times.” For me and my teammates, you appreciate adversity. 9 trade deadline, the Lakers play eight games — six against teams that would currently be in the postseason plus one against the plenty dangerous Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers host San Antonio on Wednesday on the second night of a back-to-back set in the easiest game of the stretch. You can lose to anybody any night. Hachimura is also coming off a game in which he equaled his career high with 30 points in a 138-118 win over Orlando last Saturday. It’s so competitive in this league, you can win any game. Hachimura is kind of a classic “buy low” player. You can beat good teams. [Memphis Grizzlies](https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2023-01-20/lakers-grizzlies-dennis-schroder-comeback-nba-recap) and [Portland Trail Blazers](https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2023-01-22/los-angeles-lakers-portland-trail-blazers-nba-game-recap), coming back from one of the worst quarters in NBA history to steal a win on Sunday in Portland. [LeBron James](https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2022-11-14/75-greatest-lakers-players-lebron-james-place-in-history)’ pursuit of [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-04-24-sp-1593-story.html) for the all-time scoring record. [The Lakers](https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers) — the team whose [trade aspirations](https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/newsletter/2023-01-22/lakers-newsletter-trade-deadline-lakers) have been dissected and discussed since the offseason — made a trade Monday, their fans collectively reacting in a singular way.

(AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring former lottery pick Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and a package of ...

Hachimura was the ninth overall pick out of Gonzaga in the 2019 NBA Draft. He played a ton in his first two seasons, starting 105 total games, but that number ...

The Lakers made the first notable move ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline on Monday.

So has [Bojan Bogdanovic](/nba/players/1831131/bojan-bogdanovic/). [Kyle Kuzma](/nba/players/2842826/kyle-kuzma/) has been discussed as a possibility. The Lakers have thus far solved that problem with the extremely undersized [Patrick Beverley](/nba/players/1685200/patrick-beverley/). If the Wizards can't create an internal support system for them soon, any facade of competitiveness this team hoped to maintain will fade quickly, and when it does, developing the young players they draft at the top of the lottery is going to be their only way of escaping the bottom of the standings. [Troy Brown Jr.](/nba/players/2938055/troy-brown-jr/), a 6-foot-6 wing who started his career as a guard, has played nearly half of his minutes at power forward. [LeBron James](/nba/players/400553/lebron-james/) and [Anthony Davis](/nba/players/1992786/anthony-davis/) have both missed a meaningful amount of time, and both were essential in defending opposing forwards. [based on listed heights](https://en.hispanosnba.com/teams/comparison), the shortest team in the [NBA](/nba/) this season. The Lakers need a great trade to get into the championship picture. Hachimura is averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds on 33.7 percent 3-point shooting this season and matched a season-high with 30 points against the [Magic](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/ORL/orlando-magic/) on Saturday. Last season, they found [Stanley Johnson](/nba/players/2152248/stanley-johnson/) on the scrap heap and got meaningful production. "I just want to be somewhere that wants me as a basketball player, and I want to be somewhere that likes my game," he Lately, standout role players [Austin Reaves](/nba/players/2268681/austin-reaves/) and [Lonnie Walker IV](/nba/players/2938054/lonnie-walker-iv/), who have also defended wings, have been out due to injury.

The Lakers reportedly are picking up Wizards forward Rui Hachimura in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks.

Their 22-25 record puts them 12th in the West, though they are just one game back of ninth and 2.5 games back of fifth. They also traded a first-round pick, Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to the Wizards in 2021 to acquire Russell Westbrook, leaving 2027 and 2029 as the only first-round picks at their disposal for trades right now. Washington selected Hachimura with the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly closing in on a deal that would land them forward Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards in exchange for guard ...

... I just want to be somewhere that believes in me and I can be myself. And it would make sense that the Lakers would be seeking help. "I just want to be somewhere that wants me as a basketball player," Hachimura told reporters last week.

Less than a week after the Washington Wizards were reportedly shopping Rui Hachimura, the fourth-year forward was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in ...

Hachimura had a three-year career at Gonzaga where he averaged 12.1 points, 6.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game. He also had five rebounds and two blocks in 30 minutes. Moving on from Hachimura also gives the Wizards more financial flexibility to re-sign Kuzma and Porzingis this offseason if they choose not to exercise their player options. If he can regain his 3-point stroke, his 6-foot-8, 230-pound frame could help him to develop into a 3-and-D wing. It also helps Hachimura’s value that he turns 25 on Feb. Hachimura didn’t sign a rookie extension before the season and a trade appeared more likely once Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis became firmly entrenched as the starters.

The Los Angeles Lakers finalized a deal to send guard Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks to the Washington Wizards to acquire forward Rui ...

Nunn, 27, is averaging 6.7 points and 13.5 minutes in 39 games (two starts) with the Lakers this season. “Kendrick has shown the ability to be a solid perimeter threat who can provide instant offense as a reserve,” Wizards president Tommy Sheppard said in a release. 9 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Hachimura was the No. He started all 105 games he played in over his first two seasons with the Wizards before being relegated to a reserve role. — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers)

Los Angeles is sending Kendrick Nunn and 3 second-round picks to Washington in exchange for Hachimura.

We want to thank Kendrick Nunn and his family for his time as a Laker, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.” He has averaged 6.7 points in 39 games this season, 37 of them in a reserve role. “We are excited to welcome Rui and his family to the Los Angeles Lakers,” said Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations and general manager for the Lakers.

The first deal of the unofficial NBA trade season appears to complicate Los Angeles' offseason plans.

The Lakers reportedly are picking up Wizards forward Rui Hachimura in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks.

Their 22-25 record puts them 12th in the West, though they are just one game back of ninth and 2.5 games back of fifth. They also traded a first-round pick, Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to the Wizards in 2021 to acquire Russell Westbrook, leaving 2027 and 2029 as the only first-round picks at their disposal for trades right now. Washington selected Hachimura with the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

New York – The Los Angeles Lakers finalized a deal to send guard Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks to the Washington Wizards to acquire ...

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Hachimura (not injury related) is listed out for Tuesday's game against the Clippers, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports. Hachimura was dealt from the ...

• His next chance to take the court will arrive Wednesday against the Spurs.

The Japanese forward and Tokyo 2020 Olympian is dealt from the Washington Wizards to LeBron James & Co. ahead of the trade deadline in his fourth NBA ...

They currently are 12th in the Western Conference, one game out of the play-in tournament. He was picked ninth overall in the 2019 draft out of Gonzaga University. ahead of the trade deadline in his fourth NBA season.

While there had been rumblings about Hachimura possibly getting traded, the actual deal came out of nowhere. So much so that even Lakers point guard Dennis ...

[LeBron James](/nba/players/400553/lebron-james/) should help in that regard. Early on Monday, they sent [Kendrick Nunn](/nba/players/2104256/kendrick-nunn/) and three future second-round picks to the [Washington Wizards](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/WAS/washington-wizards/) in exchange for fourth-year forward [Rui Hachimura](/nba/players/2268082/rui-hachimura/). As for this deal, Hachimura will give the Lakers some much-needed size and athleticism in the frontcourt and cost them very little in return. As Schroder's stream shows, most of the time other players are not in the loop on everything the front office is doing, so trades are just as much of a surprise to them. It's pretty rare to get a player's honest, initial reaction to a trade rather than a soundbite in the media hours later. The veteran was live streaming when news of the trade broke on social media.

The Los Angeles Lakers acquired former lottery pick Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) in exchange for Kendrick Nunn ...

Hachimura equaled a career high with 30 points for the Wizards on Saturday in his final game before the deal. Washington is 20-26 after signing star guard Bradley Beal to a big contract in the offseason, and the Wizards were 1 1/2 games behind the final play-in spot heading into Monday's games. Hachimura is hitting 34% of his 3-point shots this season after hitting 44.7% last season, but he excels in the catch-and-shoot situations that are often created for James' teammates by his penetration and playmaking. "Kendrick has shown the ability to be a solid perimeter threat who can provide instant offense as a reserve," Wizards President Tommy Sheppard said. ... I just want to be somewhere that believes in me and I can be myself. At 22-25, they're in 12th place in the Western Conference, but entered Monday just two games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the No.

The Wizards traded former first-round pick Rui Hachimura to the Lakers with a focus on draft capital in the exchange.

Third-year forward Deni Avdija could also see his role increased, especially with his emergence as one of the team's best rebounders. The second-round picks will be in 2023, 2028 and 2029. Hachimura, 24, was a key bench player for the Wizards this season. The news broke Monday and ends a four-year tenure for Hachimura in Washington. with a host of former Washington players on the Lakers including Russell Westbrook, Thomas Bryant and Troy Brown Jr. Hachimura will now reunite in L.A.

Some NBA franchises prefer to comfort the anxiety of their fan bases with rebuilding plans. They'll tank games and hoard high draft picks, as the Philadelphia ...

[signed Beal to the super-duper max](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/06/30/bradley-beal-wizards-free-agency/?itid=lk_inline_manual_28) — with a no-trade clause, mind you — and surrounded him with Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma. Instead of committing to a full rebuild, they’ll give Beal the keys to the kingdom but provide him little assistance outside of his best two teammates. The Wizards are making their stalemate seem more stimulating, at least, but in the end, they’re doing what they always do: nothing. [Jason Murray](https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/jason-murray/?itid=lk_inline_manual_30) or than anyone who is still paying to watch this team play. For now, however, he has scored 11 more points in the NBA than Washington Post NBA editor [Wizards’ Kristaps Porzingis is week-to-week with an ankle sprain Image without a caption By Ava Wallace](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/01/23/kristaps-porzingis-ankle-injury/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_29) As a rookie, Hachimura was expected to play alongside the team’s alpha, Bradley Beal. Still, he was expected to be more than the Wizards’ Japanese ambassador; he was supposed to plug into the rotation right away. “We were really, really fortunate last night to be able to draft Rui Hachimura,” President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard said at the time. Instead, generations of fans can join in on a near-annual game: “What Are the Wizards Doing?!?” We prefer to spend hours in front of our crazy walls, connecting red strings from the Issuf Sanon draft pick to the Isaiah Thomas era and trying to unearth the truth: Was taking Jan Vesely sixth overall in 2011 just a way to distract us from the government bugging our landlines — or at least from the previous year’s trade that somehow involved Kirk Hinrich and Mike Bibby? With this move, forget rooting for a shot for the play-in.

The Los Angeles Lakers have added Rui Hachimura to their roster after completing a trade for him from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kendrick Nunn ...

I just want to be somewhere that believes in me and I can be myself. Despite only coming off the bench, Hachimura has been in good form this year, averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per game. Having been unable to sign a rookie-deal contract extension, Hachimura would have become a restricted free agent at the end of this “And I want to be somewhere that likes my game … “I just want to be somewhere that wants me as a basketball player,” the 2019 ninth overall draft pick out of Gonzaga told reporters on Saturday. Nunn was in his second season with the Lakers and his fourth in the NBA, but the shooting guard missed the entirety of last year with a knee injury and has only played a reserve role this season, averaging 6.7 points in 39 games.

The Lakers made the first notable move ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline on Monday.

So has [Bojan Bogdanovic](/nba/players/1831131/bojan-bogdanovic/). [Kyle Kuzma](/nba/players/2842826/kyle-kuzma/) has been discussed as a possibility. The Lakers have thus far solved that problem with the extremely undersized [Patrick Beverley](/nba/players/1685200/patrick-beverley/). If the Wizards can't create an internal support system for them soon, any facade of competitiveness this team hoped to maintain will fade quickly, and when it does, developing the young players they draft at the top of the lottery is going to be their only way of escaping the bottom of the standings. [LeBron James](/nba/players/400553/lebron-james/) and [Anthony Davis](/nba/players/1992786/anthony-davis/) have both missed a meaningful amount of time, and both were essential in defending opposing forwards. [Troy Brown Jr.](/nba/players/2938055/troy-brown-jr/), a 6-foot-6 wing who started his career as a guard, has played nearly half of his minutes at power forward. [based on listed heights](https://en.hispanosnba.com/teams/comparison), the shortest team in the [NBA](/nba/) this season. The Lakers need a great trade to get into the championship picture. Hachimura is averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds this season and matched a season-high with 30 points against the [Magic](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/ORL/orlando-magic/) over the weekend. Last season, they found [Stanley Johnson](/nba/players/2152248/stanley-johnson/) on the scrap heap and got meaningful production. "I just want to be somewhere that wants me as a basketball player, and I want to be somewhere that likes my game," he Lately, standout role players [Austin Reaves](/nba/players/2268681/austin-reaves/) and [Lonnie Walker IV](/nba/players/2938054/lonnie-walker-iv/), who have also defended wings, have been out due to injury.

HoopsHype's Yossi Gozlan explains how the Rui Hachimura trade affects the Lakers and Wizards.

They still have $2.5 million of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception remaining, which they could use to give Goodwin more than the prorated minimum salary for this year and up to three additional years. The pending player options of Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis complicate their cap sheet for next season, and bringing back both of them could put them right at the tax before factoring in a new deal for Hachimura. They could also trade for players under contract for next season, which would help keep them in the mix for July trades. [argued last week](https://hoopshype.com/lists/why-the-lakers-are-better-off-trading-for-players-now/), there are benefits for the Lakers to trade for players that they would like to have on the roster next year now instead of taking their chances in free agency. In fact, the amount that could be deducted could be high enough to take them out of the cap space derby and have them operate as an over-the-cap team. The Lakers are projected to have $30 million in cap space this coming offseason, but re-signing Hachimura would cut into that amount significantly.

The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Wizards forward Rui Hachimura on Monday and our Sam Quinn gave the move an A- for L.A., if only because the Lakers didn't ...

Hachimura has the potential to be the best of that bunch and perhaps the most meaningful spacer in closing lineups that will likely continue to include [Russell Westbrook](/nba/players/1622555/russell-westbrook/). [Luka Doncic](/nba/players/2900426/luka-doncic/), both in the half court and transition. If he does, and especially if it comes at a higher volume, the Lakers just picked up a real two-way contributor on the cheap. Hachimura made 44 percent of his 3s last season, but he's down to 33 percent this season on pretty low volume. In fact, he's making 42 percent of his wide-open 3s this season. [Wizards](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/WAS/washington-wizards/) fan, you're more familiar with Hachimura's name than his game.

The Los Angeles Lakers are penciling Rui Hachimura into their plans for the 2023-24 NBA season and beyond, according to The Athletic's.

If this is the only marquee transaction the Lakers execute between now and the Feb. The same goes for if Hachimura leaves in the offseason, thus nullifying any long-term gains for L.A. Hachimura didn't hit the heights the Wizards were expecting after they selected him ninth overall in the 2019 NBA draft. Los Angeles didn't pay a steep price, so the trade was almost too good to pass up. [42.0 percent](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629060/shots-dash) on wide open three-pointers and [45.5 percent](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629060/shooting) from the left corner. [acquired](https://www.nba.com/lakers/news/los-angeles-lakers-acquire-rui-hachimura-1-23-23) Hachimura from the Washington Wizards on Monday, sending Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks out as part of the deal.

The 2019 lottery pick has holes in his game, but there's a path to some success with this current Lakers group.

He still has a lot to prove, and the level he showed in Washington is not worth wrecking their flexibility. It’s hard for me to believe someone who is this disparate in terms of his base from one shot to the next is going to have a ton of consistency in the moments that matter most. [Memphis Grizzlies](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/grizzlies/) second-rounder in 2024 and their own 2025 and 2027 second-rounders. [Thomas Bryant](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/thomas-bryant-dq4B2s0HiwRTR3cB/) — a serviceable backup big who spaces the floor but not one who is out there creating his own shot. Hachimura gets a wide open 3 from the top of the key because Randle is helping down onto Porziņģis in the middle of the floor. The combination of not passing in addition to being very midrange-heavy leads to maddening possessions such as the one below, where Hachimura just decides to put his head down with 15 seconds left on the shot clock and drive into the brick house known as [Julius Randle](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/julius-randle-ZOBqK4RMFKL7YI2Q/). They’re a below-average rebounding team and don’t force any turnovers, and it feels like the defense is not as disruptive as it should be because the gaps and spaces for opposing teams driving are just a little bit longer. [Kyle Kuzma](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/kyle-kuzma-7x2ASMz0sv4qdd7u/), who is having a terrific year. The Wizards’ net rating as a team was consistently worse with Hachimura on the floor than when he was off it, according PBPStats.com. [Bradley Beal](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/bradley-beal-mb7gZfksSkvZCBxf/) has only taken about 40 percent of his half-court shots from the midrange. 17](https://theathletic.com/1020711/2019/06/17/sam-vecenie-big-board-version-8-0-final-ranking-and-tiers-of-the-top-120-draft-prospects-on-his-board/) on my final board for the 2019 NBA Draft. Hachimura can get to the rim attacking closeouts, out in transition and posting up mismatches.

The No. 9 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Hachimura spent the first three and a half seasons of his career in Washington. He heads to Los Angeles with career ...

Jan. The game will be played at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Clippers will tip off around 10:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. - Time: 10:00 p.m. For games on NBA TV, subscribe to Sling Orange & Sports Extra for $27.50 in your first month. Viewers in the United States can also stream the game on Sling TV. Stream Sling Orange for $20 in your first month to catch all regular season games on TNT, ESPN & ABC. He heads to Los Angeles with career averages of 13.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists on 47.9 percent shooting from the field. Clippers will be broadcast nationally on TNT. can watch the biggest games of the 2022-23 NBA season on Sling TV, which is now offering HALF OFF your first month! 9 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Hachimura spent the first three and a half seasons of his career in Washington.

Restricted Free Agency, or RFA, has long been a thorn in the side of NBA franchises, as it allows opposing teams to set the market on a player who the ...

The Wizards have not only had a clearly superior player in Kyle Kuzma in front of Hachimura for a year and a half, but they also have generally have had too deep a backcourt. By trading away a player with two more years on their rookie contract, you're tapping into the player's perceived potential around the league, and optimizing trade value. Navigating RFA waters begin with understanding the fact that extending a player's rookie contract should be preferable. Here's a quick rule of thumb: NBA teams like to know what they have to deal with, especially financially. [sent to the Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35511046/sources-lakers-nearing-deal-wizards-rui-hachimura) on Januray 23rd, could be had for Kendrick Nunn and three modest second-round draft picks. Or, does a team out there believe in Hachimura's upside to an extent of $20+ million per year?