With this being the Los Angeles Lakers' first offseason with Luka Doncic on the roster, it's obvious that some changes are coming. The front office is going to work to build the team around their new best player, and [not everyone from the previous regime](https://lakeshowlife.com/potential-lakers-trade-with-magic-could-solve-several-problems) is a perfect fit anymore. As the Lakers look to make their additions and subtractions, one thing becomes relatively clear: It's time to trade Rui Hachimura.
The three-and-D wing has certainly had some good moments during his time in Los Angeles, but he's simply [not the greatest fit alongside Doncic](https://lakeshowlife.com/obvious-free-agency-addition-that-actually-makes-no-sense-for-lakers). The days of LeBron James and Anthony Davis running the show in LA are through. LeBron's still around, of course. But he no longer has the claim of the Lakers' best player.
Thus, building firmly around Doncic is the best chance LA has. They'll want to take the process the Dallas Mavericks used in building a roster around Luka that was worthy of an NBA Finals appearance and improve on it however they can. Part of what that entails is going to be shedding the dead weight, so to speak.
Rui Hachimura, while a good player overall, has too many question marks as a defender, rebounder and overall decision-maker to be included as a surefire member of the Lakers' core group moving forward. But the biggest concern, again, is how those deficiencies could limit the ceiling of a Doncic-led team.
Hachimura isn't the greatest fit next to Luka Doncic
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Offensively, Hachimura is a fine catch-and-shoot guy. But he simply doesn't command the type of attention off-ball for a player that you'd like to have paired alongside number 77. Rui shot just 34% from beyond the arc last season. Additionally, he's not a strong enough playmaker to make quick passes in the short roll. Overall, this diminishes his usefulness.
The phrase "jack of all trades, master of none" applies here. Hachimura just isn't strong enough in any one area for him to be a quintessential piece to this new era in Los Angeles with Luka Doncic at the helm.
His contract situation may make him a somewhat difficult player to trade, given that he'll be on an expiring deal in 2025-26. However, with an $18.2 million payday due next season, he'll still be one of the Lakers' more moveable mid-tier salaries.
Moving forward with a less-than-great supporting cast around Luka Doncic is a great way to find yourself in the mid-tier of the Western Conference in the years to come. If you can move a guy like Rui Hachimura, you can replace him with players more suited to maximize number 77's talent.