Trade Season is here! Wizards unload 4th year forward to Los Angeles for Kendrick Nunn and three 2nd round picks.
Photo By: Patrick Smith (Getty Images North America)
With the trade deadline just under 3 weeks away, the first big deal of the 2023 trade season is among us. As the Wizards deal Rui Hachimura to the Lakers for Kendrick Nunn and three 2nd rounders. The trade has been confirmed by multiple sources, including Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic.
This deal frees up some space in the Washington front-court, as the Wizards will make Kyle Kuzma more of a priority to sign to a long-term deal. This also fills out some playing time for Deni Avdija, who has also underperformed under Washington's player development program. The Wizards will get Kendrick Nunn back in the deal, who is averaging 6.7 PPG in 39 games this season. However, he's declined severely since being in the Rookie of the Year conversation back in 2019. The undrafted guard missed all of last season with a knee injury, and is owed 5.2M this season. He will become an unrestricted free agent this summer though.
As for the Lakers, this is a big move to get some help for a 38 year old LeBron James. Hachimura is averaging 13 PPG on 49% FG this season while dealing with some issues off the court. Rui has been rumored to be on the move for the past week or so, with reports confirming the Wizards had made him available. Rui was the 9th pick by the Wizards out of Gonzaga back in 2019. He will be a restricted free agent this offseason, and has a Qualifying Offer of 8.1M.
The Lakers hope to make a push for the playoffs, as they sit 12th in the West, and are just 2 games behind the 6th seed. They won a pivot game last night against the Portland Trail Blazers, in which LA wiped a 29 point deficit in the 2nd half. The Lakers are on the way up, and they just acquired a player to help with their upward fight.
Overall, I think this benefits both teams and their needs. The Wizards clear up space in the front-court, and gather some essential 2nd round picks for the future. Then the Lakers provide LeBron with some weapons offensively.
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