Rui Hachimura was a key figure in helping the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals but will the team be able to keep him?
The Japanese native is a restricted free agent this summer and teams like Thunder, Pacers and Hornets could realistically offer more money than LA to land the big man.
The chances of Hachimura staying in purple and gold past the summer remain “dicey” according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
“Initially, I heard he turned down a contract extension offer from Washington that was in that $14-15 million range (annually)…,” Scotto said on his podcast.
“He stepped up big time in the playoffs. If Austin [Reaves] was their third-best player most nights, I’d say Rui was their fourth-best player most nights.
“I think his market is anywhere in that $15-18 million range annually. In that range, the Lakers would retain him. I think where it gets a little dicey is if there’s a team that sells themselves on Rui and offers three years, $60 million or four years, $80 million.”
During his exit interviews, Hachimura made it clear that his time in LA was an amazing experience.
“It was one of the best times of my life,” he said.
“Literally three months ago, four months ago I was in a different team in the east coast and all of a sudden I’m here in LA, one of the biggest team in the NBA and making this crazy run.”
The power forward averaged 12.2 points on 55.7 percent shooting from the field and 48.7 percent shooting from three per game in the playoffs.
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