Rui Hachimura shouts out countryman Shohei Ohtani and makes opinion clear on staying in LA amid trade buzz

Rui Hachimura knows what it's like to make his home country of Japan proud. And he certainly has his eye on fellow countrymen who are doing the same in other sports.

On Sunday night, baseball megastar Shohei Ohtani pulled up to Crypto.com Arena to watch Hachimura's Los Angeles Lakers take on the Portland Trail Blazers. The 2024 National League MVP witnessed how the Lakers held off a tough Portland squad to win 107-98.

After the game, Hachimura commented on Ohtani's presence and what it personally meant to him.

"That motivated me too. I want to win here."

Rui Hachimura says a lot in just a few words

That Hachimura quote contains just two sentences, but they speak volumes about his state of mind and his present circumstances.

On the surface level, Hachimura is expressing admiration for Ohtani's baseball greatness. Banking on his versatility as a two-way player, Ohtani overcame an elbow injury that kept him from pitching and made valuable contributions on the batting side. When the dust settled, Ohtani's Los Angeles Dodgers emerged as the victors of the 2024 World Series.

But then again, Hachimura's "I want to win here" statement isn't merely an expression of wanting to emulate Ohtani's success in Tinseltown. Rather, it's a thinly veiled plea to not be moved elsewhere, even as trade rumors surround Hachimura.

With the trade deadline just a couple of months away, NBA executives are starting to have serious conversations about pieces to acquire and relinquish. The Lakers' front office is a particularly active hub during this time of the season and according to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, Hachimura is a player whose name has come up in trade talks. D'Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent were supposedly mentioned too.

Hachimura is averaging 12.1 points this season on 48.5% shooting, along with 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Some of his stats are slightly down from last season, which might convince Rob Pelinka and the Lakers' braintrust to move on from him.

For now, though, Hachimura has made it clear that he wants to continue helping the Lakers climb up the standings, make the playoffs, and possibly have an extended postseason run.

"We have a lot of [chances] this year," said Hachimura, expressing his confidence in the Lakers' chances. Whether or not his team reciprocates that confidence is a different matter to keep an eye on.