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In a span of a couple of days, the Los Angeles Lakers' roster has drastically changed. Out are LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes, while the team is bringing in guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton, big man Sandro Mamukelashvili and center Walker Kessler.
One key member of this past season's Lakers roster who is in limbo is Rui Hachimura. The sharpshooting forward remains a free agent, and while there are at least a couple of teams that are reportedly interested in him, he hasn't agreed to a new contract yet.
Some have been wondering if Hachimura simply doesn't know which team he wants to play for, or if perhaps the Lakers could have something cooking in order to keep him. Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the latter is a real possibility, especially given the contracts the Lakers could move to open up salary cap space.
Right now, Ayton is slated to be L.A.'s backup center behind Kessler. He has averaged 30.3 minutes a game in his eight NBA seasons, and there simply won't be much available playing time for him. At this point, his value to the team may be as a trade asset and not as a usable player.
Vanderbilt is an effective, versatile defender who can get rebounds in bunches, but he is extremely limited offensively. He got significant playing time after he was traded to the Lakers in February 2023, but because of his lack of offensive skill, he has seen his playing time drop since. This past season, he found himself bouncing in and out of coach JJ Redick's rotation.
The forward has two more years left on his contract, with the 2027-28 season being a player option. He will make $12.4 million this coming season, and unless he suddenly develops a competent 3-point shot, which he has never shown signs of doing, he is a player the Lakers will want to get rid of.
Trading Ayton and possibly Vanderbilt could clear some salary cap space for Los Angeles, something it doesn't have right now after the moves it made on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers could still be looking to keep Rui Hachimura on new contract
Continue reading...
One key member of this past season's Lakers roster who is in limbo is Rui Hachimura. The sharpshooting forward remains a free agent, and while there are at least a couple of teams that are reportedly interested in him, he hasn't agreed to a new contract yet.
Some have been wondering if Hachimura simply doesn't know which team he wants to play for, or if perhaps the Lakers could have something cooking in order to keep him. Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the latter is a real possibility, especially given the contracts the Lakers could move to open up salary cap space.
Right now, Ayton is slated to be L.A.'s backup center behind Kessler. He has averaged 30.3 minutes a game in his eight NBA seasons, and there simply won't be much available playing time for him. At this point, his value to the team may be as a trade asset and not as a usable player.
Vanderbilt is an effective, versatile defender who can get rebounds in bunches, but he is extremely limited offensively. He got significant playing time after he was traded to the Lakers in February 2023, but because of his lack of offensive skill, he has seen his playing time drop since. This past season, he found himself bouncing in and out of coach JJ Redick's rotation.
The forward has two more years left on his contract, with the 2027-28 season being a player option. He will make $12.4 million this coming season, and unless he suddenly develops a competent 3-point shot, which he has never shown signs of doing, he is a player the Lakers will want to get rid of.
Trading Ayton and possibly Vanderbilt could clear some salary cap space for Los Angeles, something it doesn't have right now after the moves it made on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers could still be looking to keep Rui Hachimura on new contract
Continue reading...
