The Los Angeles Lakers have reached an agreement with restricted free agent Rui Hachimura on a three-year, $51 million deal, sources told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on Friday.
The Lakers also agreed with guard Gabe Vincent on a three-year, $33 million contract, a source said.
Hachimura, 25, was a restricted free agent. His return aligns with Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka’s stated intention at the start of the offseason to “keep our core of young guys together” as the franchise pieces together its roster for 2023-24 and beyond.
Hachimura’s acquisition in late January was a precursor to a flurry of activity by the Lakers front office at the trade deadline. L.A. traded Kendrick Nunn, on an expiring contract, and three future second-round picks to land the 6-foot-8 forward.
After receiving a DNP from coach Darvin Ham in a loss to the Chicago Bulls on March 26, Hachimura was plugged back into the rotation and helped L.A. win six of its final seven games in the regular season to secure a play-in tournament spot.
He saved his best for the postseason, scoring 12 points in the play-in win over Minnesota to get L.A. into the playoffs and then starting off the Lakers’ run to the conference finals with 29 points in their Game 1 win against Memphis in the first round.
Hachimura showed flashes of the skills that made him the No. 9 pick in the 2019 draft out of Gonzaga in 16 playoff games. He averaged 12.2 points on 55.7% shooting (48.7% from 3) and 3.6 rebounds — an uptick from 9.6 points on 48.5% shooting (29.6% from 3) in 33 regular-season games with the Lakers. His 52% shooting on jump shots in the playoffs ranked No. 1 in the NBA among players with at least 35 attempts, per Second Spectrum.
Vincent, who was undrafted out of UC Santa Barbara, came into his own in his fourth NBA season and was a key piece of the Miami Heat‘s magical run from the No. 8 seed to the NBA Finals.
Vincent, 27, averaged 9.4 points a game last season but stepped up at various points in the playoffs, especially after Heat guard Tyler Herro broke his hand in the first game of the first round. He had five 20-point games in the postseason, including at least one in every round. His 51 3-pointers were the third most ever by a Heat player in the playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra repeatedly praised Vincent as he gained even more trust throughout the organization — as evidenced by the 30.5 minutes a game Vincent averaged in the playoffs.
Vincent gives the Lakers another ball handler who can space the court and defend at a playoff level.
Also Friday, the Lakers reached an agreement to sign free agent forwards Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish. Prince’s deal is for one year and $4.5 million, his agents, Steven Heumann and Richie Beda of CAA Basketball, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Prince spent the past two seasons with Minnesota and averaged 9.1 points in 2022-23. His 3-point shooting ability — he’s a career 37.2% shooter on 4.4 attempts per game — should also help space the court for superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Reddish agreed to a two-year deal with a player option in the second year, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports told McMenamin.
Reddish finally found more consistent playing time after the Portland Trail Blazers acquired him at the trade deadline in a deal with the New York Knicks. He averaged 11 points while shooting 44.3% from the field in 20 games with Portland last season.
The Duke product had fallen out of the Knicks’ rotation after also falling out of favor with the Atlanta Hawks, who drafted him with the No. 10 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. A talented 6-foot-8 wing, Reddish has shown flashes of his potential throughout his four seasons in the NBA but has struggled to score efficiently and make a positive impact on the court.
Portland traded Josh Hart to the Knicks in exchange for a protected 2023 first-round pick and Reddish, who will turn 24 before next season.
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Source – Lakers retain Rui Hachimura, add Gabe Vincent, others
