The Lakers have already made Rui Hachimura feel expendable, and the Warriors may be the team ready to cash in on that.
Los Angeles has been busy reshaping its roster, with the week’s biggest move coming in the form of Walker Kessler. But the Lakers also made a more curious addition by signing Sandro Mamukelashvili away from the Toronto Raptors on a four-year, $52 million deal, a move that looks like a direct replacement for Hachimura even though he remains on the market in free agency.
That’s where the odd part comes in. Mamukelashvili just put together a breakout season with Toronto after signing a minimum contract last offseason, and he finished 10th in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Still, his production was not obviously more impressive than Hachimura’s, and he brings far less of a track record as a starter in the NBA. He’s also not so much younger that the Lakers can point to a major upside gap and say the decision was obvious.
So if Hachimura does feel slighted, Golden State could be the place where that frustration turns into fuel.
The Warriors and Lakers will meet four times in the regular season, and the two teams are also headed toward direct competition for a playoff spot after Golden State battled injuries and finished 10th last season. That alone gives Hachimura a stage to make Los Angeles think twice about how it handled his future.
Golden State has bigger names on its radar, with LeBron James the obvious headline target if he were to leave the Lakers for the Cleveland Cavaliers or another destination. But Hachimura could be the cleaner fallback option.
The Warriors need wing and forward help while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody work back from long-term knee injuries, and Hachimura fits that need at 6-foot-8. He also shot a combined 42.6% from 3-point range with the Lakers over the past three seasons.
A group of Hachimura, Gui Santos and 11th overall pick Yaxel Lendeborg would give Golden State a younger forward rotation capable of handling meaningful regular-season minutes. It wouldn’t be the kind of move that changes the entire direction of the franchise, but it could be a useful one - and one that gives Hachimura a chance to make the Lakers regret moving on so quickly.
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