The Clippers landed Rui Hachimura on a two-year, $28 million deal, and they did it without having to hand the Lakers anything in return.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Los Angeles was waiting on the Lakers to finish a sign-and-trade for Hachimura. That never came together, because the Lakers didn’t cooperate. With that route closed off, the Clippers simply signed him outright in free agency.
That’s the part that stings for the Lakers. A sign-and-trade could have at least brought something back their way. Instead, Hachimura walks away and they get nothing for him.
Hachimura has been a steady piece for the Lakers over the past few seasons, working as a regular starter and filling the 3-and-D role alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic in LA. In the playoffs this past year, he was especially sharp from outside, knocking down more than 50% of his three-point attempts. Since arriving with the Lakers, he has built a reputation as one of the best playoff three-point shooters in history.
The Lakers, meanwhile, spent the summer reshaping the roster around Doncic and Austin Reaves, who just signed a massive extension. They also made several additions, trading a ton of picks to the Utah Jazz for Walker Kessler and bringing in Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, and Collin Sexton for depth.
There was still a path for the Lakers to come away with something in a Hachimura deal. A player like Derrick Jones Jr. could have been part of it. But the Lakers didn’t want to work with the Clippers, and that left the door open for the cross-town move to happen on the Clippers’ terms.
What makes it even more surprising is that the Clippers were reportedly willing to do a sign-and-trade and give the Lakers something back. They were prepared to make a deal. They just didn’t need to.
In the end, the Clippers got Hachimura for free, the Lakers got nothing, and the whole thing turned into one of the stranger roster swings of the summer.
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