Lakers Trade Rumors: Front Office Opted For Rui Hachimura Over Knicks’ Cam Reddish

The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off the trade season when they acquired Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura on Monday. L.A. sent guard Kendrick Nunn plus three second-round picks for Hachimura, a four-year player who was selected No. 9 in the 2019 NBA Draft.

At 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, Hachimura offers what the Lakers desperately needed — a player with size who can shoot the ball and has the skills to evolve into a solid defender. The Lakers intend to re-sign Hachimura in the offseason when he can be a restricted free agent.

Hachimura shot 44.7% from deep last season on 2.9 3-point attempts per game. That seems like an outlier, however, as he shot 32.8% the season before and fell to 33.7% this season. The optimistic outlook though is that Hachimura will get more open looks with the Lakers, likely to increase that percentage.

L.A. had some other options to make a deal, most notably New York Knicks forward Cam Reddish. It seems that the Lakers preferred Hachimura, according to NBA Insider Marc Stein:

The Lakers likely could have traded for the Knicks’ Cam Reddish for a similar package that they sent to Washington but opted for Hachimura, who was drafted ninth overall by the Wizards in 2019.

Reddish was a popular name attached to the Lakers as a potential trade target for the last couple of years.

Talks intensified between the Knicks and Lakers days before Hachimura was acquired. It was reported that New York wanted two second-round picks in a trade for Reddish. Clearly, the Lakers could have made a deal work, but they went with Hachimura.

L.A.’s interest in Reddish dates back to last January when they offered the Atlanta Hawks two second-round picks to acquire him. The Hawks declined and Reddish was moved to the Knicks for Kevin Knox and a first-round pick.

The acquisition of Hachimura likely puts an end to Reddish joining the Lakers in a trade. If they decide to make another trade, L.A. still has four remaining second-round picks plus the highly coveted 2027 and 2029 first-round picks.

Rui Hachimura explains what he will bring to the Lakers

Newly acquired forward Rui Hachimura has the potential to pay off for the Lakers. He’s still a young player with untapped potential. In his first comments as a Lakers, he broke down what he expects to offer to the Lakers this season.

“I think for me, I think I can shoot the ball from three and midrange. I can attack the rim,” Hachimura said. “Even off the ball, cutting and stuff is good for me. And yeah, I can get a rebound and pushing the ball and stuff. So I can do a lot of stuff. And I think this can be great.”