- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,252,475
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Spurs predicted to outbid Lakers for prolific $51 million three-point sniper originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Antonio Spurs have an intriguing offseason ahead of them.
The five-time NBA champions have been linked to game-changing and serviceable moves to help them not only return to the NBA Finals in 2027 but also capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the year.
In the Athletic’s Eric Nehm’s opinion, the Spurs should sign a Los Angeles Lakers forward who would fall in the game-changing category, given his elite three-point shooting process.
“The Spurs will have access to the non-taxpayer midlevel exception (roughly $15 million) this offseason,” Nehm wrote last Sunday.
“Ultimately, the Lakers could be comfortable matching that salary to retain (Rui) Hachimura, assuming he wants to be in L.A. San Antonio might want to force the Lakers to do just that.”
“With his ability to stretch the floor on offense and switch on defense, Hachimura would provide more size and give the Spurs even more lineup options, while not requiring a lot of shots to be useful.”
For the most part, the Lakers’ three-point shooting was mediocre, as they shot 35.9% from three as a team last season. However, Hachimura’s long-range production was prolific all year, as the Gonzaga product connected on 44.3% of his triples during the regular season.
Hachimura improved his perimeter shooting further in the postseason, shooting a remarkable 56.9% from beyond the arc on a Lakers squad that was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Needless to say, it’s easy to see why the Spurs would be interested in bringing Hachimura on board this summer, as they, like the Lakers, weren’t world beaters from three this past season.
It remains to be seen if they'll make a strong effort to add the former first-round pick to the fold.
More NBA news:
Lakers named landing spot for $68 million Pelicans defensive star after Yves Missi trade rejection
Lakers predicted to outbid Knicks for $60 million fan-favorite rebounding star, NBA champion
- Luka Doncic sends clear message to Lakers on roster they can't afford to ignore
Continue reading...
