Assessing the NBA Draft Capital the Lakers Gave Up for Rui Hachimura

The NBA saw just its second trade of the season on Monday.

Albeit not a monumental, seismic one, the Lakers dealt Kendrick Nunn and three second round selections in order to grab Washington’s Rui Hachimura, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Hachimura, a 6-foot-8, fourth-year forward who was originally drafted by the Wizards, should provide an offensive spark and some positional versatility for the underachieving Lakers.

In return, Washington received 27-year-old guard Kendrick Nunn and three varying second round selections. It was reported the Wizards were initially searching for any first round pick, but eventually conceded when Los Angeles added a third second to the pot.

Seconds haven’t been particularly valuable in the modern NBA, but what did Los Angeles actually give up on their end?

The most recent is this years 2023 Bulls second rounder, which will likely be much closer to the 30th pick than the 60th. The other two included the 2029 Lakers second round pick and the less favorable selection of both Washington and Los Angeles’ 2028 pick.

Overall, it’s seems a worthwhile deal for Los Angeles to invest in some offensive versatility in Hachimura, and perhaps more importantly some youth. Prior to the trade, LA averaged the highest overall age in the NBA at 30.0.

Washington now has flexibility within the lower ranks of the draft to acquire some potential project swings in the second round.

Wojnarowski later tweeted the Lakers acquired the forward with intention of signing him to an extension in restricted free agency this summer.

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