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The current timeline is adding to a roster with Doncic, James and Reaves while focusing on financial flexibility in future years. The Lakers have over $40 million of expiring contracts consisting of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber. They also have a 2031 or 2032 first-round pick to trade if needed. The future timeline is building a roster around Doncic and Reaves. With Doncic under contract for the next three seasons, the Lakers could have up to $50 million in cap space this offseason and nearly double that amount in 2027. They will also have three first-rounders (2026, 2031 and 2033) available to trade starting the night of the draft.
Chris Fedor: We all know the complications for the Cavs when it comes to trades. They can't aggregate salaries. They only have really one first-round draft pick that they can trade. They have to be like right on the number in terms of salary matching purposes. But my sources tell me that the Cavs and the Lakers have discussed a general framework surrounding De'Andre Hunter, Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht and then bringing in a third team. Now look, there are there are third teams that could be helpful. Brooklyn has the lowest salary number of any team in the NBA. They might be a destination that is willing to take some salary. Um, the Utah Jazz, they are 29th in salary in the NBA. They might be a destination that's willing to take some salary back. By the way, the team that the Cavs have traded with most frequently in the Koby Altman era is Utah, and one of his best friends is Justin Zanik, an executive for the Utah Jazz.
Well, that's one way to respond to an online rumor. Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura took to the comment section of social media to address a rumor regarding his personal life. A meme page, @durant, posted a graphic with a caption "Rumor: Doja Cat dating [Lakers] forward Rui Hachimura." Instead of ignoring the post or releasing a press release looked over by the team's communication department, the Japanese forward responded directly to the post with a message, "Mann [****] no," with a laughing crying emoji. Hachimura's comment, not the post, garnered nearly 10,000 likes on Instagram.
The Los Angeles Lakers have gauged the trade market looking for 3-and-D wing help, with targets ranging from Herb Jones to Andrew Wiggins to Jonathan Kuminga to Saddiq Bey, etcetera. With that in mind, the Lakers have dangled the expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura ($18.26 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) on the trade market, league sources told HoopsHype.
The Lakers have shown a willingness to include Rui Hachimura in trade, sources say, but that's been a catalyst in their efforts to buy to fortify their current roster — not sell. Sources say that the Cavaliers, meanwhile, are engaged in various conversations on De'Andre Hunter, but many teams view his $20-plus million salary for next season as negative value when also factoring in his injury history.
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To make any of these deals, the NBA executives and scouts said, Lakers forward Rui Hachimura and his expiring $18-million contract is a name that comes up often as a tradeable player. Hachimura’s recent outstanding play has increased his trade value around the league, but it also has made the forward a very valuable player for the Lakers.
In the past month, league sources told ESPN the Lakers have canvassed teams to see whether they could find a deal to send out their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick in order to get multiple firsts back for it. Being armed with more tradable picks would give L.A. more options this trade season, beyond the expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber.
Maybe a few years ago, the Lakers forward would’ve felt differently. But now? He laughed when he was asked if he was willing to remain in the second unit. “A lot of people think about stats and all that, but for me it’s like winning. That’s gonna help us to everybody get paid,” Rui Hachimura told The Athletic. “… And especially with this second unit, I get more touches too. … I don’t mind. It’s more so like, who’s finishing the game? Or who’s playing more? For me, that’s more important.”
This wasn’t faux-amiability – this was a player fully comfortable in his skin and his station on this basketball team. And this was a player who’d just gotten another chance to show why he’s a long-term fit for what the Lakers are building. “He’s easy” JJ Redick said of Hachimura. “He comes in. He gets his work in. He bangs shots.”
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LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber and Jaxson Hayes are in the final year of their contracts. Austin Reaves has a player option for next season, but he’s expected to see what he can earn in free agency. The Lakers can offer him the most — up to five years and $241 million. Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart also have player options. When a team is going through some struggles — much like the Lakers, who are just 7-8 since Reaves went down with a calf injury on Christmas — playing time and points can become major issues for players looking for new contracts. “I’ve been here for four seasons now and every year it’s almost the same but it’s different,” Rui Hachimura said. “You have to survive too, so I get it, I understand it. I think we talked about before the season winning is going to help. So, we got to focus on that and everything is going to come out.”
Drew Timme was a positive for the Lakers, scoring a career-high 21 points. Rui Hachimura and Maxi Kleber each had 11 points. “At the end of the day, nobody is feeling sorry for us, nor are we looking for it,” James said. “The guys that are available, we got to go out there and play our game, play the way we want to play offensively and defensively and just try to right the ship until we get whole.”
The Lakers have been making calls to acquire perimeter help and rim protection, league sources said. And between Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber, the front office has about $40 million in expiring contracts to send out in trades. But the Lakers are operating in two timelines. They want to maximize the end of 41-year-old LeBron James' career, but swapping out expiring contracts for short-term help could hinder their ability to reshape their roster around Luka Doncic. If James moves on or retires after the season, the Lakers could re-sign Austin Reaves and still have $50 million in cap space.
