If the Cleveland Cavaliers get to February and the title-winning team that was promised has not taken shape, the Los Angeles Lakers may have the answer to turning their season around. For those expecting LeBron James to be the game-changer, prepare to be surprised.
Looking to James as a fix to the potential problems Cleveland may encounter in 2025-26 is too easy. Transforming the functionality of the Cavaliers with a trade for Rui Hachimura would be a lot more practical.
An in-season move for LeBron is incredibly difficult to envision. The Cavaliers will play the Lakers near the NBA trade deadline, sparking those inevitable conversations. However, with James set to earn $52.6 million in 2025-26, the logistics just do not make sense for a second apron team like Cleveland.
A 2026 offseason union with the Cavaliers legend may still be possible. In the case of a midseason meltdown, Hachimura offers an easy trade target to properly change the mold in which Cleveland operates.
Lakers can unlock Cavaliers’ next era with a Rui Hachimura trade
It bears repeating that these events would require a specific set of circumstances in which the Cavaliers are approaching the NBA trade deadline and the championship hopes are not as alive as expected. At that point, the core four gets a long look.
The next two seasons are still the Cavaliers’ best opportunity to make an NBA Finals and get their opening to secure another championship. If the core four is failing Cleveland, there are two possible routes to take.
That would be either shaking up the backcourt duo, or moving on from the frontcourt tandem. In both of those cases, the player who would get priority to stick around is abundantly clear.
Between Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, there should be a short debate as to who sticks out the more immediate trade candidate. Sending away Allen and allowing Mobley to take on the full-time starting center spot would allow for a clear change of direction from the twin towers approach.
This is where the Lakers and Hachimura come in. The former lottery pick has been a reliable starter in Los Angeles. Hachimura has averaged 12.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from 3-point, with steady defense to boot.
Rui Hachimura shot 42% on catch-and-shoot threes last season, ranking in the 89th percentile among forwards. There may be questions about his defense and rebounding (which did improve) but not many forwards punish defenses for leaving him open the way Rui does
The 27-year-old would add a highly-desirable boost to the spacing of the Cavaliers, changing how the frontcourt functions in Cleveland. There would certainly be room to squeeze the Lakers for more too.
Rob Pelinka did add Deandre Ayton this offseason to be the Lakers’ solution at the starting center spot. Ayton is undeniably a gamble. Allen would prove a much more reliable force at the position.
The salaries work as a one-for-one trade, allowing the Cavaliers to either squeeze the Lakers for the draft capital they have remaining or tinker with the additional players who can be added to the deal. Either way, the Cavaliers would have some leverage.
This is certainly a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ type of scenario. However, contingency plans are always important. Right now, the Lakers have a good one for the Cavaliers, if it is needed.
