4 Lakers Who Won't Survive the Trade Deadline
By Cem Yolbulan
Rui Hachimura
The 25-year-old combo forward was a revelation in the 2023 playoffs after being acquired by the Lakers at last year's deadline. Not only was he super efficient from the floor, helping space the floor for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but he also held his own defensively, even causing Nikola Jokic some difficulty at times.
He isn't necessarily playing poorly this season. He is shooting well and scoring efficiently. But that is all he does, making it hard to play him more than 22 minutes per game. Despite the Lakers desperately needing good forwards with size who can play both ends of the floor, Hachimura failed to earn the trust of Darvin Ham on a consistent basis.
The Lakers need to get better production from a player they are paying a guaranteed $51 million for three years. Similar to Russell, his contract will be key in matching salaries in a potential trade. The Lakers need to upgrade Hachimura's role with a better shooter or a better defender, preferably both. With his age and size, he could have some trade value around the league.