Rui Hachimura swaps bays, not cities
There are stories that need no polish to shine. Rui Hachimura’s time in Los Angeles is one of them. The Japanese wing, a free agent after the Lakers decided not to extend the ride, has signed with the Clippers on a two-year, $28 million deal. New jersey, new arena, same city. The guy is staying home.
According to Shams Charania, the Clippers and the player’s camp had an agreement in place from the opening days of free agency. The original plan was even more ambitious: work out a sign-and-trade so the Lakers could get something back. But the purple and gold chose not to play along. The result? Hachimura walks for nothing, and the Lakers are left staring at an empty return.
Just in: Free agent Rui Hachimura has agreed to a two-year, $28 million deal to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/Cixx1ZGPV3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2026
A career year at the worst possible time to leave
What makes this sting even more for L.A. is the timing. Hachimura has just come off the best season of his career. He posted the best three-point percentage in Lakers history for a single season, shooting 44.3%. And in the playoffs, it got even better: 17 points a game, three made threes per outing, and 56.9% shooting from beyond the arc. The best mark in franchise history for a postseason run.
Across his playoff career, he has hit nearly 52% from three. Right now, that makes him the best long-range shooter in NBA postseason history. So, no, Rob Pelinka didn’t just let anybody slip away.
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A decision that leaves plenty of questions
It’s hard to see the Lakers’ logic here. Not only did the franchise fail to keep a player this productive and dependable, it also passed on the sign-and-trade route that would at least have brought back some assets. Losing a shooter of this level for nothing in the middle of a summer reset is enough to raise eyebrows.
But the NBA can work like that. Moves that look daft from the outside, internal priorities no one else can see, and in the end a player changes bays without even packing a bag.
Three and a half seasons that left a mark
Arriving in January 2023 from Washington in a deal that sent Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks the other way, Hachimura played 228 games for the Lakers. Solid numbers over the stretch: 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists. He helped them reach the Western Conference finals in 2023, lifted the first NBA Cup, and became the most reliable three-point shooter in franchise history with a 41.5% clip during his spell.
That is no small thing for a player often viewed as just a scoring add-on. Hachimura ended up becoming a quiet but vital part of the Lakers’ system.
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Off to the other side of Los Angeles
This move lands in a busy summer for both California teams. On one side, the Lakers lose a rotation starter who had become hard to replace. On the other, the Clippers keep tearing things down and rebuilding, to the point that Jordan Miller, a second-round pick in 2023, is now the longest-serving player on the roster.
Rui Hachimura stays in Los Angeles, but he changes team, colours, and probably short-term goals too. One thing’s certain: he’ll be keen to keep writing his California story, only this time in blue and red for the Clippers.
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