Luke Kennard is earning himself some money. The soon-to-be unrestricted free agent led the Lakers to a Game 1 win against the Houston Rockets with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both sidelined, a sentence that AI could never possibly come up with. With Kennard's contract expiring after the season, Kennard is making a great last impression on potential suitors for next year.
Leading up to the playoffs, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst said on the Hoops Tonight podcast with Jason Timpf that the Lakers are interested in keeping Kennard around:
"Luke Kennard has been a nice addition, and they're going to want to re-sign him because they are not going to be able to easily replace him."
Windy is right. But if Kennard keeps playing like he did in Game 1 (27 points, 5-5 from 3-point) the question won't just be whether the Lakers want him back, it will be whether they can get him back. When he's aggressive from the 3-point line and creating for teammates (which he's better at than Lakers fans expected), he's the version of Kennard who was a top-five finisher for Sixth Man of the Year back in 2022.
In short, the Lakers have a few Luke Kennard free agency decisions looming, and they could be determined by how the rest of the league views the 29 year-old.
Would Luke Kennard benefit a team led by Luka and Austin Reaves?
Let's assume the Lakers give Austin Reaves a blank check this summer. Heading into 2026-27, the starting backcourt would be him and Luka Doncic; two offensive engines with real questions on the other end. Kennard would obviously come off the bench, and potentially act as a sixth man, but is his skillset varied enough from AR and Luka to justify giving him another contract?
Kennard was so good in Game 1 because he somehow morphed into Austin Reaves. But when Reaves is actually playing, how helpful would Kennard be? Would the Lakers do themselves a favor by searching for a more defensive-minded guard instead of just doubling down on an extension of their two starters? If they really can get Kennard on a discount, they should. If Kennard becomes a target of other teams with more money to spend, though, that possibility goes out the window.
I don't know the answer to these questions. At the moment, Lakers fans can enjoy watching Kennard, knowing they basically stole a half-season of him for a second-rounder and Gabe Vincent. With Rui Hachimura also slated for free agency and LeBron James remaining a big question mark, I don't think Kennard will be the top priority for Rob Pelinka. If he turns into John Stockton a few more times in this series, they might not be able to.
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