It’ll be do or die for the Los Angeles Lakers when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 on Wednesday night. A 116-113 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 4 officially has the Lakers sitting in a 3-1 deficit, leaving time to tell if LeBron James, Luka Doncic, & Co. have what it takes to keep their team’s postseason dreams alive for at least one more game.
As much as Lakers fans would love to see an extended playoff run, it’s hard to imagine that happening if head coach JJ Redick’s team doesn’t step up. Failing to do so in Game 5 could spell bad news for any L.A. players who are already on thin ice, including one veteran forward whose offseason exit would be guaranteed with a poor Wednesday night showing.
If the Lakers fall to the Timberwolves in Game 5, there’s a good chance that Wednesday night’s contest will be Rui Hachimura’s last in a Los Angeles uniform.
Hachimura, 27, was traded to the Lakers back in January 2023, arriving in town as Kendrick Nunn and a trio of second-round picks were sent back to the Washington Wizards. It was a price worth paying for a former 2019 first-round pick who needed a change in scenery after his development stagnated in the nation’s capital.
It took some time, but Hachimura has since become one of the Lakers’ top scoring threats. He’s made 96 starts in 127 outings across the last two regular seasons, averaging 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 52.4% from the floor and 41.8% from deep, proving to be worth the $51 million extension he signed a few offseasons ago.
In fact, he’s even continued his success into the current postseason. Hachimura is averaging 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and .463/.435/1.000 splits through the Lakers’ first four games in this series, and just dropped 23 points with a 56.3 FG% and 50.0 3P% in Game 4 as most of his teammates rode the bench.
Having said that, Hachimura’s success is exactly why he might get moved this summer. It isn’t a secret that the Lakers will be looking to upgrade their bench with more depth in the offseason, and the easiest way to do so would be trading the veteran combo guard, who will carry a digestible $18.2 million cap hit for the 2025-26 campaign.
The Lakers could also use Hachimura’s cap hit as a part of a bigger deal to land a third star to play alongside James and Doncic if bolstering depth isn’t the top priority. Either way, the ex-Gonzaga Bulldog’s strong performance will likely draw attention, regardless of which direction L.A. wants to head in.
Fortunately, for his fans, oddsmakers have faith that Hachimura will stick around for at least another game. FanDuel Sportsbook is currently listing the Lakers as 5.5-point home favorites over the Timberwolves less than 12 hours before Game 5’s tip-off.
