Lakers foe Timberwolves want Rui Hachimura in free agency

With LeBron James already conveying his intention to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and Austin Reaves re-signing, Rui Hachimura is now biggest member of the Lakers’ 2025-26 roster whose free agency fate remains uncertain.

The 28-year-old Hachimura has done more than enough to earn a lucrative deal in free agency, and he’s coming off a season where he scored 11.5 points per game and shot 44.3% from three-point range.

While the Lakers are showing interest in bringing him back, they aren’t the only Western Conference team who has their eyes on Hachimura. In a July 2 Substack article, NBA insider Marc Stein asserted that the Minnesota Timberwolves are prioritizing Hachimura as their top forward target, and are expressing “serious interest” in signing him with Hachimura’s representation.

Minnesota has already been active this offseason, trading for star guard LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029 and 2030), and three future second-round picks. Minnesota already has one of the league’s biggest stars in Anthony Edwards.

The Lakers’ front office has already faced criticism this season for what many fans feel like is a failure to build a true contending roster around Luka Doncic. There’s still plenty of time for Los Angeles to change this narrative, but if bringing Reaves back and trading for Walker Kessler is all the Lakers accomplish by the end of the offseason, that criticism will feel warranted.

Re-signing Hachimura would be a step in the right direction, even if it still means other moves need to be made afterwards. And if Hachimura doesn’t end up back in Los Angeles, the hope among fans is that he’ll end up somewhere in the Eastern Conference.

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