Rui Hachimura Inks New Deal With Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are officially resigning forward Rui Hachimura to a three-year, $51 million contract.

Hachimura came to Los Angeles from the Washington Wizards last January. Through the second half of the season and in the playoffs, Hachimura was a vital contributor to the LeBron James-led Lakers. In the playoffs, Hachimura provided averages of 12.2 points and 3.6 boards along with quality defense. He made 48.7% of his threes in the postseason.

Along with signing Hachimura, LAL has also made free-agent deals with D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Gabe Vincent.

Rui Hachimura's 2023-24 Outlook

The Lakers went 21-12 with Hachimura in the lineup last regular season. At 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, he is a well-rounded option alongside James and Anthony Davis.

Hachimura will likely run with the second unit, but his flexibility to defend multiple positions helps make this LA squad deep off the bench, and Rui's three-point shooting is valuable on this Lakers team.

Betting Odds Impact

It's been a rampant offseason for the Purple and Gold.

Before free agency began last week, FanDuel Sportsbook had the Lakers' NBA Finals odds at +1500 -- seventh best in the NBA. Even with the recent slew of moves, LA's championship odds remain exactly the same (+1500).

The lack of odds movement is not a Litmus test for the Lakers' moves but is likely more of a sign that many of these moves were partially baked into the Lakers' pre-free agency title odds.

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