Lakers News: Rival Execs Project New Salary For LA Free Agent Rui Hachimura

How much will the power forward fetch on the open market?

This past January, Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura was flipped to LA by the Washington Wizards in part because Hachimura and the Wiz front office at the time (it has since changed hands and begun a full-scale teardown) couldn't agree to terms on a rookie scale salary extension in the fall, and Washington had clearly balked at bringing Hachimura back at the likely eight-figure annual salary he would hope to command.

At the time of the deal, the Lakers were rumored to be intending to keep the 6'9" forward out of Gonzaga rostered long-term. Now, we've got a bit more intel on exactly how much that could cost.

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report reveals that "multiple competing executives" believe that Hachimura will earn between $12-18 million this year. Of major concern to your Lakers, of course, is which end of that range competitors will look to tender his way. Given the way Hachimura performed in the postseason (despite a pretty erratic post-trade run with the Lakers), one would imagine Los Angeles would feel compelled to match whatever that money is. But a more cost-effective deal would certainly be easier on their anticipated luxury tax bill.

Hachimura's hyper-efficient scoring during the postseason (i.e. when it absolutely mattered most) felt like a sneak peek of what he might be able to achieve for the team next season. During the Lakers' 16 playoff games, he notched 12.2 points on .557/.487/.882 shooting splits, along with 3.6 rebounds in just 24.3 minutes per contest. Assuming the price is right, it makes sense to run things back with the promising 25-year-old.

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