Rui Hachimura is no star, but he could turn out to be the missing piece the Los Angeles Lakers have been searching for. The former Washington Wizards power forward is not expected to be LA's savior this season, but there's also no denying that Monday's trade was a step in the right direction for the Lakers.

The one thing that needs to be taken into consideration with regard to Rui is that he is on an expiring deal. The 24-year-old is in the final year of his current contract which means that he's going to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. For their part, the Lakers certainly knew this coming in, and apparently, they already have a plan in place in terms of Hachimura's long-term future with the squad:

“Internally, Los Angeles is high on Hachimura, believing he has untapped potential that he wasn’t able to show with the Wizards after they chose to prioritize Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija. The Lakers are interested in retaining Hachimura and currently expect to re-sign the restricted free agent this offseason, league sources told The Athletic,” wrote Buha.

This makes sense considering how the Lakers sent Kendrick Nunn and no less than three future second-round picks to the Wizards in exchange for Hachimura. You just don't give up that type of haul for a half-season rental.

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Buha also reports that the Lakers will need to dig deep into their pockets to retain Rui's services beyond this season:

“According to those sources, Hachimura is expected to command a double-digit annual salary though much lower than his nearly $19 million cap hold,” Buha added.

Rui Hachimura is set to pocket $6.2 million this season. He's done well enough to demand a substantial pay hike in his next deal, and it is clear that this will have a significant effect on the Lakers' salary cap if they truly intend to extend his stay in Hollywood.