Lakers Reunite Familiar Faces in Trade With Grizzlies, Reclaiming an Old Pipeline
If you’re a Lakers fan, you might be feeling a little déjà vu lately - and for good reason. After a stretch where the Memphis Grizzlies seemed to be flipping the script on LA, the Lakers have once again tapped into a familiar well, bringing in talent from a team that, not long ago, seemed to be mining the Lakers’ own developmental ranks.
On Thursday, the Lakers swung a trade for Luke Kennard, a sharpshooting guard who spent the last two-and-a-half seasons in Memphis. Kennard isn’t just any addition - he’s a proven floor-spacer with playoff experience, including a postseason matchup against the Lakers while wearing a Grizzlies jersey. Now, he’ll be suiting up alongside two former Memphis teammates in Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia, forming a mini-Grizzlies reunion in Los Angeles.
For context: Smart was in Memphis for a season and a half, while LaRavia was drafted by the Grizzlies and spent two-and-a-half seasons there. So for the entire 2023-24 campaign and the first half of 2024-25, Kennard, Smart, and LaRavia shared the court in Memphis. Fast forward to now, and they’re back together - only this time, under the brighter lights and warmer skies of Southern California.
“It was a pleasure to play with Luke in Memphis,” Smart said following the Lakers’ win over the Sixers on Thursday night. “One of the better shooters in this league. He comes to work every day and I’m excited to see him out here with us again [with] me and Jake, and kind of keep going what we had in Memphis.”
It’s a full-circle moment for the Lakers, who, not too long ago, saw Memphis turning their own former G League prospects into productive NBA players. Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jay Huff both earned standard contracts with the Grizzlies after failing to carve out long-term roles in LA, and Colin Castleton also had a brief two-way stint in Memphis. For a time, it looked like the Lakers were the ones feeding talent to Memphis.
But now? The tide has turned again.
This isn’t just about swapping jerseys - there’s a broader trend here. The Lakers have quietly re-established a pipeline of guards coming in from Memphis, a position group that’s long been a focal point for both franchises. From Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard years ago - veterans who passed through Memphis before landing in LA - to the current crop of former Grizzlies-turned-Lakers, the connection runs deep.
And while there’s no sign that a Ja Morant cameo in purple and gold is on the horizon (Lakers fans can exhale), the idea of Memphis continuing to be a talent reservoir for LA isn’t far-fetched. Young names like Cedric Coward and Jaylen Wells are already turning heads, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Lakers keep tabs on their development. Heck, maybe we’ll even see a full-circle moment with a return from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or another go-round for Pippen Jr.
For now, though, the Lakers have added a reliable shooter in Kennard, reunited a trio with existing chemistry, and - perhaps most importantly - reasserted themselves in a dynamic that once tilted the other way.
In a league where relationships, familiarity, and fit can be just as important as raw talent, this move feels like more than just a roster tweak. It’s a subtle but telling reminder: the Lakers are still very much in control of their narrative - and maybe, once again, of Memphis’.