The Los Angeles Lakers' trade deadline came and went with little fanfare - and that’s exactly the problem, according to one of their most outspoken former rivals.
Gilbert Arenas, never one to hold back, took the Lakers to task on a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, handing the team a blunt “F grade” for their move to acquire Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks. His main gripe? The Lakers made a move, but not the move - and in his eyes, that’s just not good enough for a franchise built on glitz, glamour, and game-changers.
“I’m giving them an F because they traded an F player for an F player,” Arenas said, cutting straight to the point. “This player averages six, then you subbed him out for somebody who averages eight.
Did we get more athletic? No.
Did we get faster? No.
We got a better shooter for another guy who’s going to sit in the corner.”
The trade in question sent Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for Kennard, a move clearly aimed at improving floor spacing - especially around LeBron James and Luka Dončić. On paper, it makes sense.
Kennard is a proven marksman from deep, and the Lakers have needed more perimeter shooting to complement their stars. But for Arenas, the issue isn’t just about fit - it’s about identity.
“This is Hollywood,” he said. “We’re star-studded over here.
We didn’t even put our name in trade boxes. Who’s the marketing team over there?”
Arenas didn’t just want a better shooter - he wanted fireworks. He floated a hypothetical blockbuster - trading LeBron for Giannis - not as a serious suggestion, but to illustrate his point: the Lakers didn’t even look like they were in the mix for a big move. And for a franchise that’s built its brand on boldness, that silence was deafening.
He didn’t stop there. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Arenas took a jab at how the trade was presented publicly, mocking the hype that preceded a relatively modest roster tweak.
“US Lakers fans wanted Japanese A5 Kobe Beef Wagyu as a player,” he wrote. “And you brung us tofu with steak juice news.”
The metaphor may be playful, but the message is clear: for a team with championship aspirations and a fan base that expects nothing less, marginal upgrades just don’t cut it - not when the window around LeBron is closing, and not when the Western Conference arms race is heating up.
On the podcast, Arenas doubled down, questioning how the Lakers have defined their roster standards in recent years. “At this point they’re allowing anybody on the team,” he said.
“What happened to the names? The names made the Lakers.”
It’s a fair question. While Kennard’s shooting could absolutely help the Lakers on the court - especially in half-court sets where spacing has been an issue - the move doesn’t exactly scream “championship push.”
And that’s the emotional disconnect here. Fans aren’t just looking for efficiency; they’re looking for electricity.
For a team that’s long thrived on spectacle, this deadline felt more like a shrug than a statement.
In the end, Arenas' frustration isn’t just about one trade - it’s about what that trade represents. A franchise known for swinging big didn’t swing at all. And for a fan base used to banners and blockbuster headlines, that’s a tough pill to swallow.