The Los Angeles Lakers are not ones to shy away from making trades.
They acquired Anthony Davis back in 2019, and eventually traded him away for Luka Dončić, two blockbuster trades.
In between these two trades, they have made more, just not as impactful.
Looking back, their trade for Rui Hachimura was a success. They traded Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks in exchange for the Japanese forward.
Hachimura has provided plenty of value, but Jack Simone of Lake Show Life believes the Lakers made a mistake in this trade that has now come back to bite them.
“The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Rui Hachimura a couple of years ago, and he’s been a solid role player for them ever since. In fact, he’s shooting the ball very well this season,” Simone said Monday. “However, Deni Avdija, who was another Washington Wizards forward at the time, has since broken out as a star with the Portland Trail Blazers. Avdija looks primed to be an All-Star candidate this season, and he could have been a perfect player for the Lakers to pair alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves moving forward.”
Avdija and Hachimura were both drafted ninth overall, Avdija in the 2020 draft and Hachimura in the 2019 draft.
When Hachimura was acquired by Los Angeles in 2023, neither Avidja nor Hachimura was on a path to become a star.
Los Angeles couldn’t have known that years later, Avdija would blossom into a 25-point-per-game scorer and be an All-Star candidate at just 24 years old.
Obviously, he wouldn’t have had the same progression with the Lakers as he has had with the Portland Trail Blazers, but he likely would’ve been a better option than Rui.
Knowing the Wizards were open to trading him stings for the Lakers, but all they can do is take it on the chin and move on.
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