San Antonio could pair Victor Wembanyama with a dynamic floor-spacer as LeBron James’ looming decision threatens to squeeze the sharpshooting forward out of Los Angeles' future plans.
The San Antonio Spurs are emerging as a potential landing spot for Los Angeles Lakers free agent Rui Hachimura. ... and the fit is easy to see.
The Spurs have some of the cap flexibility to do some shopping.
They have a need for a "stretch 4'' to play next to Victor Wembanyama.
And Hachimura and the Lakers have been slow to cement their future together.
The latest word suggests that it might be the Spurs vs. the Brooklyn Nets vying for the services of the sharp-shooting Hachimura, the Japanese-American standout who last year shot a career-high 44.3 percent from three.
And in the playoffs, he was even more clutch, as he averaged 3.3 threes per game while shooting an NBA-best 57 percent.
The Lakers have the cap flexibility to retain Hachimura and would seemingly like to do so as a building block around Luka Doncic.
But they have a big decision to make regarding the future of LeBron James, and the trickle-down from that could impact the future of Hachimura.
What might Hachimura cost the Spurs? According to ESPN cap expert Bobby Marks, Hachimura’s projected value is around $15 million per season.
The Spurs have their own juggling act regarding free agents, as a decision must be made on Harrison Barnes. And of course there is also the possibility of a blockbuster move, with the Clippers' Kawhi Leonard reportedly interested in coming back to San Antonio.
But The Stein Line insists the Hachimura connection could have legs.
They write: "Brooklyn keeps coming up as a likely suitor, too, for the Lakers' Rui Hachimura, league sources say. The Nets and Spurs are two teams we've heard have interest in adding Hachimura's services.''
