The Los Angeles Lakers Bring Back Big Piece Of Playoff Run

Getty Image / Harry How

The Los Angeles Lakers were left for dead midway through last season. The team, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, was well out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference and was headed for a high lottery pick. But, a series of trades and acquisitions helped buoy them into the play-in and all the way to the Western Conference Finals, rejuvenating the franchise and extending the window for the Davis-James pairing.

And, one of those big acquisitions for the Los Angeles Lakers was forward Rui Hachimura. Hachimura was playing meaningless basketball for the Washington Wizards. The move seemed to inject life into the versatile forward. On Friday, they decided to bring him back on a pretty big deal.

RFA Rui Hachimura has agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal to return to the Lakers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2023

He earned a lot of that contract in the playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers played 16 playoff games, and he scored double figures in half of them. He went over 20 points four times, and was key the entire run. The 25-year-old Gonzaga alum endeared himself to Los Angeles Lakers fans, and many were thrilled they brought him back.