NBA Free Agency: Los Angeles Lakers Sign Hachimura, Vincent, Prince and Reddish

• The Los Angeles Lakers agreed to sign free agents Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent
• They also reached agreements to sign free agents Cam Reddish and Taurean Prince
• Hachimura and Vincent both excelled last postseason, helping them land big deals

The Los Angeles Lakers made a huge splash on the opening day of free agency, agreeing deals with four key players.

The Lakers re-signed forward Rui Hachimura, with the Japanese star agreeing to a three-year, $51 million contract.

They also added Gabe Vincent to their lineup, signing the former Miami Heat guard to a three-year $33 million deal.

Lakers retain Hachimura

The Lakers made it a priority to retain Hachimura, whom they acquired in a trade with the Washington Wizards in the middle of last season.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka wanted to keep their core of young guys together for the 2023-24 season and beyond, and Hachimura was definitely part of that group.

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He played an important role in the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals last season.

Hachimura scored 12 points in the Play-in game against Minnesota to help the Lakers get into the playoffs.

He started his playoff campaign with a bang, dropping 29 points in Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, per ESPN.

He finished the postseason with averages of 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. He shot 55.7 percent from the field and 48.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Those numbers were enough to land him an extended stay in L.A.

Vincent rewarded after breakout postseason

Vincent is another guy who thrived in the postseason. He started all of the Heat’s 22 playoff games, averaging 12.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per contest, per Yahoo Sports.

He shot 40.2 percent from the floor and 37.8 percent from the 3-point area, helping Miami reach the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed.

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His excellent play was rewarded, with the Lakers offering him a $33 million contract to become their next point guard. Not bad at all for a guy who went undrafted in the league.

Reddish and Prince sign deals

The Lakers also reached agreements with free agents Cam Reddish and Taurean Prince.

Reddish signed a two-year deal for the veteran’s minimum salary.

Prince agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million contract, with the Lakers using the Bi-Annual Exception to get the deal done.

LA Clippers waive Eric Gordon

Sports Brief recently reported on the Los Angeles Clippers saving $110 million with a wise offseason move days ago.

They waived veteran guard, Eric Gordon, resulting in the Clips saving millions in luxury tax payments.

The money they saved will help the Clippers in their pursuit of Sixers star James Harden.