According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the LA Clippers have signed Rui Hachimura to a two-year, $28 million contract, stealing him away from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers were reportedly waiting on the Lakers to complete a sign-and-trade for Hachimura, but the Lakers didn’t cooperate. So, the Clippers made the deal happen without their cross-city counterparts.
The Clippers could have sent something back in the deal. They could have helped the Lakers, who would have then not lost Hachimura for nothing (like they have). Instead of actually helping the Lakers, they shot themselves in the foot. They could have taken something from the Clippers, but they didn’t.
Instead, the Clippers managed to snag Hachimura in free agency for free, without giving anything up in a sign-and-trade.
Clippers took Rui Hachimura frmo the Lakers
Hachimura has been an important part of the Lakers’ lineup for a few years now. He’s been a regular starter, acting as a 3-and-D forward alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic in LA.
During the playoffs this past year, Hachimura was an elite three-point shooter. He made over 50% of his shots from deep range, and he’s been doing so since joining the Lakers, becoming one of the best three-point shooters in playoff history.
But this summer, the Lakers decided to reset the team around Doncic and Austin Reaves, the latter of whom just signed a massive extension with the team. So, they made a bunch of signings to change things up.
The Lakers traded a ton of picks to the Utah Jazz for Walker Kessler, and then, in free agency, they brought in Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, and Collin Sexton for depth purposes.
They could have also had something from the Clippers. A piece like Derrick Jones Jr., perhaps. There could have been a deal to be made for the Lakers to get something – anything – in return for Hachimura. But they didn’t want to work with the Clippers.
So, rather than having to send something back in a sign-and-trade, the Clippers just signed Hachimura outright. They landed him in free agency without having to help their rivals at all.
And the craziest part is, they were willing to. They were ready to work out a sign-and-trade with the Lakers. They were ready to give the Lakers something in the deal.
But they didn’t have to. They got to steal Hachimura away from the Lakers, and the Lakers helped it happen. That’s what makes this move so wild.
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