Rui Hachimura Signing with Crosstown Rival Clippers Stuns Social Media – “We Didn’t Have 14 a Year For Rui?”

Rui Hachimura was one of the key defensive components for the Los Angeles Lakers over the past three seasons.

Rui Hachimura Signing with Crosstown Rival Clippers Stuns Social Media – “We Didn’t Have 14 a Year For Rui?”

Rui Hachimura joins Clippers (Image via FirstSportz)

When the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Rui Hachimura back in 2023, the idea was that he would bring his perimeter defense and shooting ability from distance to help the team contend for a championship.

Last season, he proved his worth, particularly during the playoffs. At the time, Lakers fans felt that he had exceeded the expectations of his three-year, $51 million contract.

There was hope that he would be one of the few to return to the team, but everything changed when LeBron James decided his time with the Lakers was done.

It was not as if it would be difficult to bring back the Japanese star, as the King’s $52 million cap hit was going to be free for the Lakers to utilize.

Fans felt that GM Rob Pelinka would do everything to bring back Hachimura, as his defense was very important to the Lakers, particularly when surrounded by two defensive liabilities in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

This means that NBA veteran Eddie A Johnson‘s prophecy is coming true. Players did start to leave once James announced his departure. More importantly, he left for the crosstown rivals.

In the past, it used to be despicable to think of a Lakers player joining the Clippers, but it seems the 6’8″ forward wanted to stay in Los Angeles, and the only way he could do that was to take what the Clippers offered.

Moreover, Rui Hachimura just received a two-year, $28 million deal. Which means he has essentially taken a pay cut despite being predicted to command upwards of $20 million a year.

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Fans flame Lakers for letting Rui Hachimura walk

Basketball fans were aware that Rui Hachimura was probably gone. As the days went by and the Lakers kept adding to their roster, it became clear that there was no more space left for him.

But when he decided to jump to the Clippers, and that too for a pay cut, it surprised fans. They felt that this was the Lakers not doing justice to a player who had done well for them.

They took to social media to tear into the organization, asking whether they did not have enough money to bring back one of their best defensive players from last season. Check out examples of those reactions below.

The moment Rob Pelinka signed all those players, the writing was probably on the wall. However, there were rumors that they could create some cap space by waiving Jarred Vanderbilt. Now it seems they preferred to keep him and not give the 28-year-old the money that he wanted.

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Lakers lose their starting 5 from Rockets series

The Los Angeles Lakers not only lost LeBron James. In this off-season, they also lost Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Jaxson Hayes, Deandre Ayton, and now Rui Hachimura.

Rui Hachimura was exceptional against the Rockets
Rui Hachimura was exceptional against the Rockets (Image via Lakers World Fr/X)

Essentially, they’ve lost the entire starting five from last season’s first-round series against the Houston Rockets. More importantly, the defense has taken a significant hit, at least on paper.

Maybe the Lakers will be able to figure out some way to make that defense stick without these athletic perimeter guards. But what surprised everyone was how much they were willing to retool the roster just to cater to Luka Doncic’s needs.

Time will tell whether this decision was correct, at least on the Lakers’ part. The Clippers, on the other hand, are about to enter a new era with Rui Hachimura on their team after Kawhi Leonard departed for the Raptors.

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