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Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against De'aaron Fox #4 of the San Antonio Spurs in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on February 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

The San Antonio Spurs have emerged as a potential destination for Los Angeles Lakers free agent Rui Hachimura.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks explained why the Spurs, following their NBA Finals loss to the New York Knicks, pose a legitimate threat to the Lakers to pry Hachimura away.

“The Spurs have the flexibility to go out and do some free-agency shopping,” Marks told ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Monday.

“When you look at the playoffs, they need a combo big man who can complement Victor [Wembanyama],” Marks said of the Spurs. “When you look at a stretch 4, a player like Rui Hachimura from the Lakers — you pair him up with a big who can shoot.

“Regardless, the Spurs are set up really nicely for the future,” added Marks.

Spurs Need More Shooting

Further to Marks’ point, the Spurs ranked fourth in 3PM (12.8) and 3P% (.357) during the playoffs, and struggled mightily in the NBA Finals, when they shot 33.9% from distance against a Knicks team that shot nearly 37% from long range. Ultimately, many insiders felt New York’s ability to drain shots more consistently cost the Spurs.

Hachimura, one of the NBA’s best marksmen, could help them in that category. Last season, the Japanese-American player shot a career-high 44.3% from three — ranking fifth in the league among players who attempted at least 3.9 threes per game. In the playoffs, he was even more lethal, as he drained 3.3 threes at an NBA-best clip of 56.9%. Along the way, he set some new all-time playoff benchmarks for the Lakers.

Lakers Keen to Retain Hachimura

The Lakers — who have a lot of cap flexibility of their own — prefer to retain Hachimura rather than let the 3-and-D wing join a team like the Spurs in free agency.

According to The Athletic’s Dan Woike, the Lakers would like to retain both Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes to continue building a core around Luka Doncic.

“The belief is that Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes are players the Lakers would prioritize bringing back as they try to best fit a roster around Dončić. And each piece of the puzzle the Lakers feel they need to add into their cap space takes up a slice that could go to James,” Woike wrote on Monday.

It’s worth noting that Marks isn’t the first insider or insider to link Lakers free agent Hachimura to the Spurs.

So, what could Hachimura cost the Spurs on the open market? According to Bobby Marks, Hachimura’s projected value is around $15-$16M per season.

“Hachimura is the only player in Lakers history to have three straight seasons of at least 40% shooting from 3 on at least 150 attempts,” Marks wrote on May 22. “This season, he ranked fifth in the league in 3-point percentage.

“And although his scoring dipped from 13.1 points to 11.5 this season, Hachimura shot 51.4% from the field. He and Kevin Durant are the only two players to shoot 50% from the field and 40% from 3 in each of the past three seasons.”

Besides Hachimura and Hayes, the Lakers will have to deal with the free agency of LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luke Kennard over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton have player options for next season.