NBA: Rui Hachimura joins Clippers on 2-year deal, will leave Lakers

FILE – Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, left, drives by Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren during the first half of Game 3 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series May 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Free agent forward Rui Hachimura and the Los Angeles Clippers have agreed on a two-year contract that would be worth $28 million if a team option is exercised, a person familiar with the talks said Monday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the financial details were not disclosed by either side. ESPN and the Los Angeles Times were among the first to report the deal’s potential value.

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Hachimura will be joining his third team, after splitting his first eight NBA seasons between the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers. His departure means all five of the players that the Lakers started in Game 1 of last season’s playoff run — Hachimura, LeBron James (still choosing a new team), Deandre Ayton (trade to Washington), Marcus Smart (agreed to sign with Houston) and Luke Kennard (agreed to sign with Phoenix) — will play elsewhere this season.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, both of whom will remain with the Lakers, would have been starters for that Game 1 but were injured.

The 28-year-old Hachimura, who played his college basketball at Gonzaga, averaged 11.5 points and shot 44% from 3-point range last season.