The Los Angeles Lakers turned Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick into Luke Kennard before the trade deadline, a move that has greatly gone in their favor. It was one of a series of moves Atlanta made, but it stands out more than the others because of how it's aged.
Vincent has been a non-factor for the Hawks, while Kennard has helped lead the Lakers to two back-to-back playoff wins with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves out. If the trade had never happened, LA probably wouldn't be sitting in the position that it is now.
For the most part, Atlanta is better off because of its deadline moves, too. The organization ended the Trae Young era, and it paid off in ways no one expected, with CJ McCollum turning into the Hawks' playoff hero in their Game 2 win over the Knicks. Jonathan Kuminga, whom they traded for an oft-injured Kristaps Porziņġis, was also impactful in the win.
Oh, and Atlanta has a top lottery pick to look forward to in June's draft, capitalizing on New Orleans' mismanagement.
The Hawks have greatly benefited from Onsi Saleh taking over as GM, but he doesn't have a perfect track record in his first season, as watching Kennard go off has to sting.
Lakers easily won the Luke Kennard trade with Hawks
Los Angeles needed Kennard to step up, but you can assume that even the organization didn't expect him to play as well as he has. He dropped 27 points in Game 1's win and followed that with 23 in Tuesday's victory to give the Lakers a 2-0 edge.
The version of Kennard that LA has gotten isn't what Atlanta saw; though he shot 49.7% from three with the Hawks, that was only on 3.2 attempts per game. His shooting from deep dropped after the trade during the regular season, as he shot 44.8% on just 3.0 attempts with the Lakers.
Kennard is one of the league's top sharpshooters, but the thing is that he never shoots the ball enough. With Dončić and Reaves out, Los Angeles has needed more from the guard, and he's delivered, and not just from behind the arc.
The circumstances in LA right now are different than what they would've been if he stayed in Atlanta. You can also argue that the change of scenery played in Kennard's favor, and you can't overlook the impact of playing under JJ Redick. Both went to Duke and are elite shooters (and that's present tense because JJ probably still has it).
Watching someone who was on your roster just a couple of months ago enjoy a playoff breakout can't be fun for Saleh. At least he can enjoy watching his team wreak some havoc in the first round, but Vincent isn't a reason for that. The Hawks would've done themselves a favor had they kept Kennard, as they could use his shooting off the bench.
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