For a team in need of size, depth and youth, the 6-foot-8 Hachimura checks a lot of boxes, but the GM says he is also willing to trade their first-round draft picks for the right return.
LOS ANGELES — Rui Hachimura had no sooner arrived at his new home arena than the Lakers put him to work.
It was only days ago when the 24-year-old told The Washington Post that he wanted “to be somewhere that wants me as a basketball player.” He didn’t play on Tuesday night against the Clippers, but already he could feel it sinking in that he was with not only a team that needs a player like him but also in a place where he once dreamed of living.
“He definitely fills a big void of giving us more size on the perimeter, a guy who can also guard bigger players in the post,” Coach Darvin Ham said after watching Hachimura’s pregame workout. “Just what he brings offensively, a guy that can create his own shot as well as fall into the system seamlessly.”
The resources that loom the largest ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline are the Lakers’ two tradeable first-round picks in 2027 and 2029. Pelinka has indicated a willingness to use them publicly, but the Lakers have been reluctant to part with them without getting a true impact player in return.
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