The Clippers have added a major perimeter weapon, and they beat out some notable competition to do it.
Los Angeles officially signed Rui Hachimura on Wednesday night, according to a press release from the team. The former Lakers forward had also drawn interest from the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs as a free agent, and ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Hachimura turned down offers from those two teams, along with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets, before choosing the Clippers.
“The LA Clippers have signed forward Rui Hachimura, it was announced by Lawrence Frank, President of Basketball Operations,” the team said in its release.
Frank made it clear why the Clippers wanted him.
“Rui is an elite three-point shooter and an efficient mid-range scorer who uses his size to exploit mismatches,” said Frank. “He will strengthen our frontcourt with his one-on-one defense and ability to space the floor.
Rui is also a well-liked and respected teammate who continues to grow his game. We’re excited to add him.”
Hachimura arrives after a strong postseason stretch from deep. The Gonzaga product averaged 17.5 points per game in the playoffs while hitting 54.9% of his shots overall and 56.9% from three-point range. Only Spencer Jones, Jamison Battle, Kelly Olynyk, and Royce O’Neale posted better long-range percentages among playoff contributors.
That shooting touch wasn’t a one-off, either. During the regular season, Hachimura knocked down 44.3% of his three-pointers, and he should give the Clippers another reliable floor-spacer heading into the 2026-27 season.
In Other News...
LeBrons Lakers Ending Suddenly Looks More Unsettling Than Fans Realized
Derek Fishers reaction to the celebration around LeBron James not returning to the Lakers says as much about the franchises relationship with its stars as it does about LeBron himself. Fisher sounded surprised that so many fans seemed relieved, arguing in effect that James never got treated like the kind of Lakers icon who arrives, grows into the jersey and becomes inseparable from the building the way Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant or Shaquille ONeal once did.
That divide has only deepened the sense that LeBrons Los Angeles run ended with more friction than affection. The tension around his Lakers tenure has been tied to the fallout from the Russell Westbrook trade, and even among former players there is no clean consensus on where LeBron belongs in franchise history, which is part of why the reaction to his exit feels so unsettled now. [Read more 🡒]
Harsh Bronny Challenge Puts Lakers Faith Under A Bigger Spotlight
The Lakers made an early commitment to Bronny James before the bigger family storyline shifted around them, guaranteeing his deal for the 2026-27 season and signaling that they still see a development project worth keeping in-house. It was a notable vote of confidence for a young guard whose NBA minutes have been limited and whose production has invited plenty of skepticism, even as his G-League work and physical tools hint at more upside than his current big-league rsum shows.
Bronny has already appeared in 69 NBA games, but the broader question is less about what he has done so far than what the Lakers believe he can become. Their decision to let the deadline pass without moving on from him says they are willing to live with the growing scrutiny, especially now that the teams long-term outlook no longer includes LeBron James in the same way it once did. [Read more 🡒]