The Golden State Warriors had some interest in Rui Hachimura in free agency, but they ultimately weren't willing to dump Moses Moody, and sign Draymond Green to a multi-year deal at a lower annual salary, in a way they would have done for his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate LeBron James.
Hachimura has now taken a swipe at the Lakers upon his exit and arrival at the L.A. Clippers, having exposed a problem that the Warriors could have easily fixed had they landed the 28-year-old forward.
Rui Hachimura quote exposes Lakers problem Warriors could have fixed
Playing alongside James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Hachimura has seemingly revealed that he did a lot of standing and watching rather than cutting off the ball in a way he'd ideally like to do.
“In my final year with the Lakers, I couldn't really make those cuts due to our team's (structure), so the (Clippers) told me they want me to do more of that, which makes me really happy. I also want to focus on rebounding. Grabbing the boards and pushing the pace like I used to back in the day is something I want to keep doing," Hachimura said on his YouTube channel.
This can be a common problem playing alongside ball-dominant teammates, particularly for a role player like Hachimura who fell behind Doncic, Reaves and James in the offensive pecking order. With Doncic sidelined and Reaves missing some games during the playoffs, there's no surprise that Hachimura's numbers (points, rebounds and assists) all spiked significantly.
Nearly half of Hachimura's field-goal attempts over the last two seasons have come from 3-point range, and he clearly views himself as more than just someone who sits in the corner or on the wing waiting for stars to find him.
Warriors could have offered Rui Hachimura his stylistic wish
As much as the Clippers may be able to offer Hachimura something more aligned to his desires, no team could have arguably gave him more off-ball cutting opportunities than the Warriors whose offense revolves around ball and player movement.
Golden State's current injury issues could have even given the Japanese forward more post-up chances and generally far more offensive responsibility, while also being part of a veteran team still hoping to make the playoffs.
It ultimately wasn't to be as Hachimura signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the Clippers, leaving the Warriors to run back the same roster after also missing on James who rejected them in favor of the Philadelphia 76ers.
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