The Lakers traded guard Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for sharpshooting guard Luke Kennard, according to multiple reports Thursday morning.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka did ultimately decide to make a move, just hours before the NBA trade deadline, shoring up the team’s shooting off the bench by adding a career 44.2% 3-point shooter. This season, the 29-year-old Kennard has shot nearly 50% from beyond the arc (a career-high 49.7%) while scoring 7.9 points per game in 20.5 minutes across 46 games off the bench.
The Athletic was first to report the news of Vincent being traded Thursday, while ESPN first reported the full terms of the swap.
As of Thursday, the Lakers rank 22nd in 3-point percentage – 34.9% per game – which became one of the few glaring weaknesses for the Lakers in recent weeks. Kennard will be an unrestricted free agent following the season and the Lakers will owe the 6-foot-5 former Clipper part of the $11 million he’s set to make.
Vincent, on the other hand, never really found his footing in Los Angeles. Across almost three seasons with the Lakers, the 29-year-old guard battled injuries and averaged 5.6 points while playing 20.6 minutes per game. He started 18 games while donning the purple and gold.
With the acquisition of Kennard, the Lakers save $500,000 – a slight bit of financial flexibility should the franchise make another move before the noon PT trade deadline hits. If the Lakers choose to not make any other additions and wait for the buyout market to start, in the short term, Kennard provides extra length for a team looking to spread the floor with Luca Doncic and LeBron James at the forefront.