Trade rumors have been swirling in the NBA all season long, but not many deals had ended up taking place, until Monday morning of course. The Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards kicked off the day by completing a trade centered around Rui Hachimura going to the Lakers and Kendrick Nunn going to the Wizards. And with the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline creeping up, it seems like this is only the start of the NBA's hectic trade season.
Aside from these two players, the Lakers will also be giving up three second-round draft picks as part of the deal. They include the Lakers own 2029 second-rounder, the less favorable pick of the Wizards and Lakers second-rounders in 2028, and the Chicago Bulls second-rounder in 2023.
After Hachimura's bombshell interview dropped on Sunday, it seemed like only a matter of time until he got traded. And sure enough, one day later, he has found himself with a new home. So let's take a closer look at this trade and hand out final grades for both sides and see why they are deserving of such grades.
Grading the Rui Hachimura trade
Los Angeles Lakers
After being involved in trade rumors for what feels like years, the Lakers finally have made a move to improve their rotation. Hachimura isn't going to immediately make them a title contender, but for a team that desperately needed some help in their frontcourt, this deal will give them exactly what they are looking for.
Hachimura was the ninth overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, but it never felt like he came close to realizing his potential with the Wizards. His role with the team was constantly in flux, and he just never was able to settle in with the team. It's unfortunate, but that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes.
Hachimura's numbers on the season (13 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.2 APG, 48.8 FG%) are solid if unspectacular. Hachimura has the potential to be a really good two-way wing player in this league, but so far, all he's proven to be is a decent scorer who can occasionally chip in on the glass. He's still only going to be 25 in February, so there is time for Los Angeles to work on developing him.
Giving up Nunn, who the team made it clear they were willing to move, and three-second round picks certainly isn't an overpay given some of the other trades we have seen in the league recently. Hachimura isn't the most talented player ever, but he desperately needed a change of scenery, and the Lakers were able to shore up one of their biggest weaknesses in the process, so you can't complain too much with this deal here.
Final Grade: B+
Washington Wizards
The Wizards always seem to be stuck in this middle ground position, where they seem to think they can contend for a playoff spot, but simply don't have a roster good enough to do so. That has continued this season, and this trade involving Hachimura, while not necessarily surprising, doesn't really change anything for them.
Cutting your losses on an early first-round pick is always tough to do, but the situation for both Rui Hachimura and the Wizards was clearly not going to work. After he came out and openly said he was looking to play for a team that actually wants him, he may as well have been traded then and there.
Getting Nunn in return is an OK move, as the Wizards can give him far more minutes than he was getting with the Lakers. Nunn's numbers aren't good at all (6.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.9 APG, 40.6 FG%) but he was averaging 15 points per game with the Miami Heat prior to missing the entire 2021-22 campaign. Similar to Hachimura, the potential is there, and a chance of scenery could help him realize that potential.
Washington was never going to get a first-round pick back in return for Hachimura, but getting three second-round draft picks in return isn't particularly bad either. The 2023 Bulls second-rounder, in particular, could end up being better than expected given the fact that Chicago is barely holding onto the ten seed in the Eastern Conference right now. And of course, taking any draft assets you can get from the Lakers is nice too, because their long-term future looks bleak to say the least.
The problem with this trade, though, isn't necessarily the return, but the Wizards mismanagement of a high draft pick in Rui Hachimura. It never really should have come to the point where this looks like a decent return for him. But it has, and ultimately, that does take a bit of a toll on the Wizards final grade here.