As is always the case every season, there were a lot of rumors surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers as the NBA trade deadline approached. One name that has been brought up as someone who could potentially be moved for a couple of seasons now is forward Rui Hachimura.
The Japanese star has grown into one of the team’s best and most consistent shooters and has thrived for the Lakers this season since moving to a reserve role. And with him being on an expiring contract, it makes sense that his name would pop up in trade rumors, though he was obviously not moved at the deadline as Gabe Vincent was the only player sent away as the Lakers brought in Luke Kennard.
Now having been with the Lakers for many seasons, Hachimura has gotten used to rumors that come every year and feels the majority of them are false anyway. But now that the deadline has passed, he also feels this Lakers group is ready to handle whatever comes next, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“With the Lakers, we get a lot of rumors,” Hachimura told ESPN. “But a lot of times, those rumors are bulls—. …
“We have the time now where it’s like, ‘OK, this is our group now.’ Because we know that now. So we’re ready for what’s next.”
This has often been the case for the Lakers in recent seasons. The trade deadline can stress players out as they don’t know whether they will still be on the team, but once that has passed and they can focus strictly on basketball, the overall level of play rises and the Lakers have looked like a much better team down the stretch of the season.
As Hachimura said, the Lakers now know what their team will look like for the remainder of the year and they can lock in for this home stretch and really play to their potential. And hopefully that will allow this squad to rise up the standings and go on a long postseason run in this difficult Western Conference.
Luka Doncic supported Lakers’ trade deadline approach
The Lakers didn’t make a major splash at the trade deadline this season, choosing instead to make just one minor deal. But this quiet approach, which sets them up to be a big player during the offseason, is one that was supported by superstar Luka Doncic.
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