Lakers Rumors: Rui Hachimura Contract May Force LA to Walk Away If PF Wants $20M+ AAV

The Los Angeles Lakers want to re-sign impending free agent forward Rui Hachimura, but there may be a point where L.A. lets him go if his contract expectations are too high.

Jovan Buha of The Athletic provided the latest Wednesday.

"Rui Hachimura is priority 1B for the Lakers behind Austin Reaves. Both players are restricted free agents, meaning the Lakers can match any contract sheet they sign with another team. As I reported last week, the Lakers plan to match any offer sheet Hachimura signs this summer (just like with Reaves).

"But is there a walk-away number for Los Angeles? It feels like $20 million annually — something in the four-year, $80 million range — is where things might get a bit dicey. Anything at or below that $20 million threshold means Hachimura is probably back."

Hachimura, who joined the Lakers via trade with the Washington Wizards in January, notably excelled for L.A. en route to its run to the Western Conference Finals, averaging 12.2 points on 55.7 percent shooting in 24.3 minutes per game. He was notably scorching hot from deep, hitting 48.7 percent of his three-pointers.

The Lakers have some big decisions to make this offseason. D'Angelo Russell is an unrestricted free agent, while Reaves and Hachimura are restricted free agents.

Reaves is understandably a big priority after excelling in the playoffs as a member of the starting lineup, posting 16.9 points on 46.4 percent shooting, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Russell did not fare as well in the playoffs, notably struggling in the Western Conference Finals.

But he still made a big impact to get the Lakers there, averaging 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per game during the regular season after being traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves in February.

Regarding Hachimura, he clearly filled a big void as well, providing much-needed scoring off the bench and good defense.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on May 18 on NBA Countdown that Hachimura is somebody the Lakers "traded for with the idea they're going to have a long future with him."

He also noted at the time that L.A. would like to retain all three players.

For now, free agency is a month away. Teams can start negotiating with free agents on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET, while signings can begin on July 6 at 12:01 p.m.