The Los Angeles Lakers are making a move to address one of their most glaring needs: perimeter shooting. In a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, the Lakers are sending guard Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for sharpshooter Luke Kennard.
This is a calculated swing by the Lakers’ front office, and it’s not hard to see why. Kennard isn’t just a good shooter-he’s been the best in the league this season from beyond the arc.
The lefty is hitting an eye-popping 49.7% of his threes, while also shooting 53.8% from the field overall and 91.4% from the free-throw line. That’s elite efficiency across the board, and it’s exactly the kind of floor-spacing Los Angeles has been missing.
Kennard, who’s earning $11 million this season, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. But for now, the Lakers are banking on his ability to slot in immediately and help stretch defenses that have been able to collapse too easily on Luka Dončić and LeBron James. Through this point in the season, L.A. ranks just 23rd in made threes and 22nd in 3-point percentage-numbers that simply don’t cut it in today’s NBA, especially for a team with championship aspirations.
The 27-year-old Kennard brings more than just a hot hand. He’s a seasoned vet with playoff experience and a career 44.2% mark from deep.
He’s played for four different teams-Detroit, the Clippers, Memphis, and Atlanta-so he knows how to adapt quickly to new systems. That’ll be key as he joins a Lakers squad currently sitting sixth in the Western Conference, where every game counts in a tightly packed playoff race.
As for Vincent, his time in Los Angeles never quite got off the ground. Injuries and inconsistent play limited his impact, and with Dončić, James, and Austin Reaves dominating the ball, his role was always going to be limited. The Hawks get a veteran guard and a future second-rounder, while the Lakers get a specialist who fits a very specific need.
Let’s not overlook the context here, either. Dončić, acquired from the Mavericks last season, has been electric-leading the league in scoring and playing like a man on a mission.
He slimmed down over the summer and has looked every bit the MVP candidate. But even with Dončić and LeBron, the Lakers bowed out early in last year’s playoffs, falling to the Timberwolves in five games.
That loss underscored the need for more shooting around their stars.
LeBron, now 41, is still defying time, but the clock is ticking. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and while he hasn’t made any decisions about his future, the Lakers are clearly operating with urgency. This isn’t a rebuild-it’s a retool, with the goal of maximizing what could be the final stretch of LeBron’s legendary career.
Reaves, meanwhile, has continued to grow into a critical piece of the puzzle. He’s expected to decline his player option this offseason, but the Lakers are widely expected to bring him back. His chemistry with both LeBron and Dončić makes him a valuable long-term piece, even as the front office looks to reconfigure the roster around its stars.
In Kennard, the Lakers aren’t just adding a shooter-they’re adding a weapon. Someone who can shift the geometry of the floor, punish help defenders, and open up driving lanes for their playmakers. If he stays healthy and finds his rhythm, this could be one of those under-the-radar moves that pays off in a big way come playoff time.