The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into the offseason with more work to do. After trading for Luka Doncic, the team looked good, but the playoffs showed that they need a lot more help.
In that playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Lakers had no answer defensively. They lost in five games, which leaves a lot of questions for Rob Pelinka to answer.
Pelinka will have to get creative to make the moves necessary to win a championship. Part of that creativeness may be having to deal away key pieces on the current roster. One name to keep an eye on could be forward Rui Hachimura.
According to a report from Khobi Price of the Orange County Register, Hachimura is a name to keep an eye on as the offseason approaches.
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"In 2025-26, Hachimura will be on the last season of a three-year, $51 million contract he signed with the Lakers during the 2023 offseason," Price wrote. "With an $18.3 million salary for next season that is part of an expiring deal, and it being evident that he's still rounding out his game and developing, Hachimura will likely come up in offseason trade buzz as the Lakers look to upgrade their roster after back-to-back first-round playoff exits."
Throughout the course of the 2024-25 NBA season, Hachimura continued showing signs of development. He dealt with some injury issues during the year, but still put up great production.
Hachimura played in 59 games with 57 of them being starts. He averaged 13.1 points, five rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from three-point range.
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At just 27 years old, Hachimura would be a coveted target on the trade market if he is made available by Los Angeles.
One of the big needs for the Lakers this offseason will be finding a new starting center. Mark Williams was acquired ahead of the deadline, but the deal was rescinded due to an issue with his physical. Los Angeles needs rim protection and rebounding from whoever it brings in at center.
Keeping Hachimura would be the clear preference for the Lakers, but if it takes moving him to make an upgrade, it's something they'll have to consider.
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This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 9:57 AM.