As the NBA’s February 9th trade deadline approached, the Washington Wizards made a daring move by sending their 2019 #9 overall pick Rui Hachimura to the Lakers for Kendrick Nunn and three second round picks. While many see this as a smart decision for Los Angeles, Washington now has some roster reshuffling decisions to make as they make a push for the play-in tournament. Here’s why this trade would get a B level grade.
First, we have to know who these players are and what they’ve done so far in their careers to see how worth it the trade actually was for both sides. Let’s start with who the Lakers are getting in Rui Hachimura. Hachimura is a strong small forward/power forward combo with sneaky athleticism for his size, a strong build and decent shooting ability from range. Originally from Japan and coming out of Gonzaga in 2019, Hachimura averaged 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 57% shooting, 31% from 3, and 74% from the free throw line in three seasons for the Bulldogs before being drafted ninth overall by the Wizards.
In his rookie season in the NBA, Hachimura joined a Washington team already with young talent in Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr and Isaac Bonga but still averaged 18, 8, and 2 despite only playing in 42 games and Washington finishing 10th in the East at 25-47 in the abbreviated Covid schedule. Over the next two seasons in Washington, Hachimura averaged 13.5 and 13.8 points respectively and is currently averaging 13.3 this season with the Wizards and Lakers since the trade. The trade was completed with the intention of getting rid of salary space due to the team not being willing to offer Hachimura an extension off his rookie deal, according to ESPN NBA Chief Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, which many found puzzling.
Now we can take a look at who the Wizards are getting in Kendrick Nunn. Nunn is a streaky point guard/shooting guard combo with a small yet quick athletic frame, can score on all three levels, and has playmaking skill despite his size. After going undrafted in the 2018 selection class out of Oakland a year before Hachimura, he spent the entire 2018-19 season in the G-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors. In college, Nunn averaged 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 Assists on 42% shooting, 38% from 3 and 82% from the line. With Santa Cruz, he put up 19, 2 and 2 on average in key games for them. In April of 2019, he joined the Miami Heat and was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team where he averaged 15, 2 and 3. In August of 2021, he signed for the Los Angeles Lakers where he put up only 6, 2 and 0.9 in a down year. Nunn was eventually dealt to Washington mainly due to the fact that the Lakers have quite a few guards and needed a formidable wing player who could stretch the floor, namely like Rui Hachimura to fix their lack of reliable 3-point shooting so Lebron James can focus on doing what he does best – attacking the basket. James has had to take and make more threes in the past two seasons than at any other point in his career due to the Lakers struggling to produce production from range recently.
What’s next for these two teams moving forward? This trade would get a B due to the fact that both teams aren’t getting significantly better, and it is not a blockbuster deal by any means. But on the other hand, each team gets a player at a position of need which can help in the long run. The Wizards and Lakers both find themselves out of the playoff picture as of now but maybe the trade can light a spark for either one of them.
Written by Owen Lomotan of Wootton High School
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons