On the first official day of NBA free agency, LeBron James let the Los Angeles Lakers know that he will not be re-signing with them, and guard Luke Kennard agreed to a two-year deal with the Phoenix Suns. In addition, veteran guard Marcus Smart opted out of his contract on Monday and is widely expected to move to the Houston Rockets.
It looks like there may end up being something of a mass exodus away from the Lakers that is taking shape. Forward Rui Hachimura, who is also a free agent, is expected to leave Los Angeles, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
"Along with Luke Kennard departing the Lakers tonight, starting forward Rui Hachimura is also widely expected to leave the Lakers in free agency, sources said," Siegel wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The San Antonio Spurs, who just lost in the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks, and the Brooklyn Nets have been mentioned as teams that will be interested in the ****** anese native.
He averaged 11.5 points a game and shot 51.4% from the field and 44.3% from 3-point range during the regular season, and in the playoffs, he put up 17.5 points a game while making 56.9% of his 3-point attempts. He's currently the NBA's all-time career leader in playoff 3-point accuracy at 51.6%.