As Rui Hachimura walked into Crypto.com Arena on Friday night for a basketball game for the first time in five months, many familiar faces and sights awaited him.
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faces → walk → him
There was Hachimura on the Lakers’ home court, joking around with franchise superstar Luka Doncic while both were going through their pregame warmups.
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both → be → warmups
There was the 6-foot-8 forward embracing star guard Austin Reaves and greeting multiple Lakers assistant coaches as he walked around the court.
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he → be → court
There was the former Gonzaga Bulldog receiving a positive ovation from the fans after being introduced in the starting lineup, with a tribute video showing on the Jumbotron midway through the first quarter.
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video → be → quarter
There was the 2019 first-round pick, whom the Lakers acquired from the Wizards in January 2023, acting like he was going to walk into the Lakers’ locker room before reminding the security guard that it shouldn’t be happening anymore.
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it → be → guard
“That was funny because … the security guard, he didn’t even realize that,” Hachimura told the California Post.
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Hachimura → realize → Post
Hachimura added: “I was like, ‘Hey, you gotta stop me.’
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you → add → me
But after 3 ½ seasons with the franchise, Hachimura was on the other side of what used to be called “The Hallway Rivalry” — and what The Post’s Melissa Rohlin has now dubbed the “Freeway Snore.”
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Rohlin → use → what
And he’ll be reminded of the change again when the Lakers visit the Intuit Dome on Wednesday, though he won’t play due to quad soreness sidelining him for the matchup.
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he → remind → matchup
Hachimura is no longer a Laker after signing a two-year, $28 million contract with the Clippers in July.
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Hachimura → sign → July
He was one of the several players who left the franchise over the summer as part of the roster reconstruction around Doncic and Reaves, which included acquiring Walker Kessler and eight other players.
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which → leave → Kessler
“It was tough,” Hachimura told The Post about his free agency.
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Hachimura → tell → agency
“That’s my second free agency.
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That → ’ → ?
Of course I was trying to get the extension from [the Lakers].
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I → try → Lakers
It didn’t work out, but it is what it is.
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it → work → ?
We have to move on at some point.”
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We → have → point
The Lakers were interested in retaining Hachimura.
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Lakers → retain → Hachimura
And he would’ve liked to return to the franchise.
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he → like → franchise
“That was the point,” he responded to The Post when asked whether he wanted to stay with the Lakers.
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he → respond → Lakers
But that didn’t come to fruition.
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that → come → fruition
“It’s my agent and those guys who [were] in the talks,” Hachimura told The Post.
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Hachimura → ’ → Post
“I don’t know what the [talks were], but I’m happy that I’m here.”
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I → know → ?
The Lakers made a slew of additions within the first few days of free agency: The Kessler acquisition opened the floodgates for the initial signings of Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million, Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million) and Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million).
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acquisition → make → Grimes
But to make those additions with their $50 million-plus in cap space, the Lakers had to relinquish the cap holds for most of their free agents, including Hachimura, making it unlikely they’d return to the franchise.
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they → make → franchise
Hachimura said he didn’t know whether the Lakers offered him a new contract during the summer after the three-year, $51 million deal he signed with the franchise during the 2023 offseason expired in late June.
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he → say → June
“It’s on them,” he responded to The Post when asked what led to his departure from the Lakers.
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what → ’ → Lakers
Hachimura reiterated the reporting from the summer that he and the Clippers had reached an agreement during the early stages of free agency.
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he → reiterate → agency
A potential sign-and-trade between the Lakers and Clippers was pursued by Hachimura’s camp, which would’ve led Hachimura signing a longer contract with his new team, but the Lakers didn’t participate and Hachimura signed with the Clippers outright.
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Hachimura → pursue → Clippers
“It was already done,” he told The Post.
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he → do → Post
“I just didn’t do it right away.”
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I → do → it
Hachimura is still held in high regard by his former teammates.
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Hachimura → hold → teammates
“He’s one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had,” Reaves said.
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Reaves → ’ → teammates
“I made a joke the other day that I didn’t know if he spoke English for the first two weeks.
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he → make → weeks
We sat by each other on the plane his first year and I would say ‘hey’ to him.
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I → sit → him
He kind of just looked at me and [nodded].
“
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He → look → me
And then after that I couldn’t get him to shut up.
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him → get → that
Always in a good mood, happy to be here, puts the work in, and it’s just good to see him be happy and successful and enjoying his life.”
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him → put → life
Los Angeles, and the Lakers specifically, is where he developed into “an unbelievable shooter,” according to Lakers coach JJ Redick.
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he → develop → Redick
He shot 41.5% from beyond the arc in his 3 ½ seasons with the Lakers, including 50.7% in the playoffs.
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He → shoot → playoffs
“Rui in terms of just his offensive packaging and becoming one of the best shooters in the NBA, we got him at a good point in his career,” Redick added.
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Redick → become → career
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
