Paying role players was far from a popular move during the 2025 offseason. The new NBA CBA has not been friendly to those that are not at least bordering on stardom. The Los Angeles Lakers may be forced to ignore that trend with Rui Hachimura.
Hachimura is in the last year of his three-year, $51 million contract with the Lakers, collecting close to $18.3 million as an expiring contract. The Lakers forward will hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026, forcing Rob Pelinka and company to ponder what is next.
To some capacity, Hachimura has made that decision easy for Los Angeles.