The Los Angeles Lakers were reportedly looking to make a move that made them better both immediately and in the future and it looks like they did just that by trading for Rui Hachimura in a deal with the Washington Wizards.
The Lakers are getting a true wing-sized player who has a knack for scoring the basketball at all three levels. At only 24 years old, Hachimura is the perfect player to take a flyer on especially considering how few draft assets Los Angeles has and they are reportedly already interested in re-signing him.
Hachimura is already with the team and expressed how much he is looking forward to his new opportunity with the Lakers.
“I’m excited. I’m so excited for this opportunity,” Hachimura said. “You know, of course, the Lakers is one of the greatest organizations. I’m so happy to be part of this family and I’m so happy to be back in L.A. It’s so funny that when I was in college, I came here for college games and stuff. And then I was joking around about how this is my this gonna be my home. And it’s really happening right now. So yeah, I’m so happy. Yeah, I’m so excited for it.”
The Lakers are a global brand and Hachimura acknowledged they are one of the most well-known teams in Japan.
“I would say the Lakers is one of the most famous teams in Japan. The NBA is getting bigger in Japan, but I think everybody knows about the Lakers. I think we have a lot of history and stuff. So I think one of the biggest ones.”
Even though the Lakers have been playing better basketball as of late, they were clearly still missing players with size who could take some of the scoring burden away from LeBron James. Hachimura is a step in the right direction for the Lakers and it’ll be exciting for fans to see him finally make his debut.
Rui Hachimura explains why he called Los Angeles home
Even prior to being traded to the Lakers, Hachimura had previously spoken about wanting to call the city his home. He eventually explained his reasoning once he got to Los Angeles.
“I don’t know. At first, I liked the weather for sure. I have family and friends in here. A lot of friends living here. And there’s a lot of Japanese people in here too. So I think that made me feel like it’s my home close to the coast of Japan. It’s only nine hours from here. I think that’s the reason.”
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