In the NBA, three-point shooting is crucial, and the Lakers signed one of the league’s most lethal shooters prior to Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline.
Luke Kennard, a 29-year-old shooting guard who is making slightly less than half of his threes this season, is being traded by Los Angeles to the Hawks for veteran point guard Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round choice. Shams Charania of ESPN was the first to report on the change.
Atlanta establishes a $11 million trade exception, giving itself additional roster flexibility, while the Lakers assist clear space in their offense with the deal, according to Charania.
Given the threat that LeBron James and Luka Dončić pose to opposing teams, Kennard should receive more open looks. His three-point percentage of.497 (on 3.2 attempts per game) is the highest in the NBA. Additionally, Kennard’s usage rate with the Hawks was the lowest of his career at 12.7%.
In 2021–2022 (.449) and 2022–2023 (.494) with the Clippers and Grizzlies, Kennard topped the league in three-point percentage. He had just joined Atlanta for the first time.
3 p.m. is the NBA trade deadline. Thursday ET. Use our live trade deadline updates tracker to stay up to date on all the league’s movements.
