Thoughts on Rui's decision, Russell's deal

So Russ is staying and Rui is leaving.

No great shock in either case, although Wilson’s agents and the Seattle brain trust took it right past midnight on deadline day to reach an agreement.

And yes, there had been stories that Wilson could be traded, or that if nothing were done by Monday night, he would not negotiate with Seahawks again.

Not just after his free-agent year of 2019, but ever.

We’ll never know.

The richest contract in pro football history took care of that.

As for Hachimura, it was a slam dunk that he would forego his final season at Gonzaga to enter the NBA draft, where scouts have him listed pretty much all over the place.

This is pure speculation, but…

I think there’s a chance Rui — who loved Spokane and said many times how much he enjoyed the college atmosphere — actually might have stayed if the 2020 Olympic Games weren’t being played in Japan.

The chance to be his country’s first draft choice and represent the home nation as an NBA player were way too much to turn down.

WILL RUI become a great NBA player?

There are arguments both ways.

Zags Coach Mark Few always reminds people that Hachimura is still a long way from his full potential.

“His upside is off the charts,” Few said. “People forget that he started basketball late, and that he didn’t get to play a hundred or so AAU games every summer like American kids.

“The way he’s picked up the game and improved every day — even though he didn’t understand much of what we were saying as a freshman — has been totally amazing.”

Naysayers around the league cite Hachimura’s shot (they believe it’s too flat), but that can be fixed.

Magic Johnson couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean from a beach when he came out of Michigan State, but became a deadly outside shooter.

The scarier item for NBA decision-makers is whether Rui is quick enough, especially side to side, to be an effective defender in the pros.

Does he have fast enough feet?

Despite any doubts, though, go ahead and pencil Rui into the NBA lottery, which involves the 14 teams that didn’t make the playoffs.

He has a real chance to be a star, he will be a fantastic ambassador for any franchise, and all the hoopla surrounding the Olympics will sell some tickets.

And hey, most lottery teams have empty seats available.

AS FOR Wilson, once again he took things under the two-minute warning before leaving the crowd ecstatic.

That allowed Wilson and his wife, Ciara, to tweet a wee-hours video (from bed, no less) in which the QB said, “Seattle, we’ve got a deal.”

Ciara piped up to add: “Go Hawks!”

Awww…

Some words of warning, though: Wilson’s staggering $140 million deal over four years (roughly $35 million per season) takes a huge chunk out of Seattle’s payroll and cap room.

There is minor debate over this figure, but NFL numbers geeks claim that no team with one player making more than 13 percent of the total squad payroll has ever won a Super Bowl.

That’s why Tom Brady plays for less, so the Pats can add winning pieces around him.

Wilson chose the cash, which means Seattle now must find a way to retain or add players who can help him win with considerably less money than they had 48 hours ago — most notably, pending free agents Frank Clark, Bobby Wagner and Jarran Reed.

Can they pay everybody?

Or find a bag of rookies and free agents who turn into special contributors?

We’ll see.

But at least Ciara seemed happy.

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns for The Press appear on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He also contributes the “Zags Tracker” package on Gonzaga basketball each month during the offseason.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com