WASHINGTON — Rui Hachimura He doesn’t seem overly concerned with the idea that he could be traded.
“I just want to be in a place that loves me as a player and I want to be in a place that likes my game,” the Washington Wizards forward said Saturday night.
When asked if Washington is that place, he replied: “I don’t know. We have to find out.”
Hachimura was an asset to the Wizards on Saturday when he matched a career high with 30 points in a win over the Orlando Magic. That came shortly after talk began about the possibility that he could be traded before the February 9 deadline.
“I just have to play my game. I know what I can do and I can help the team win,” Hachimura said after the game. “It’s here or on another team. I can help the teams.”
Asked if he wanted to be traded, the 24-year-old Hachimura paused for several seconds before saying, “I don’t know.”
When asked if he had requested a trade, he declined to comment.
Hachimura is in its fourth season. The Wizards drafted him with the ninth pick in 2019 out of Gonzaga.
He started 105 games in his first two seasons, but just 13 since, including none this season. In 30 games this season he has averaged 13 points and 4.3 rebounds. He has also averaged 13 points in his career.
“I just have to stay focused on the moment now,” Hachimura said. “I know everything that’s going on right now. I just have to play and be myself.”
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Hachimura does not rule out leaving Wizards