The Los Angeles Lakers had a rather quiet trade deadline. With rumors suggesting the Lakers are trying to preserve draft capital and cap flexibility for the post-LeBron James era in LA, the decision to make one trade at the deadline should not have come as a shock. While the deadline was quiet, the one move general manager Rob Pelinka did pull off has turned out to be rather loud.
The Lakers' one deal was trading Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick for Luke Kennard. This deal has already aged wonderfully for LA in his short time of wearing the purple and gold. Kennard has already proven he's one of the Lakers' most important pieces as the playoffs approach.
As a Laker, the former Duke Blue Devil is giving them a reliable scoring presence off the bench. That is coming on shooting splits that would blow anyone's mind.
Luke Kennard is the knockdown shooter the Lakers desperately needed
Ever since JJ Redick took over as head coach of the Lakers, it has felt like they could have use him on the court because of the reputation he built as a 41.5 percent 3-point shooter over his career. In a way, that reality has now happened. Kennard has similar attributes to a prime Reddick.
Elite off-ball movement, high basketball IQ, the ability to shoot off the catch and off the dribble, an understanding of how to relocate, and confidence you simply can't teach.
There are echelons of shooters in the NBA. You have your streaky shooters like Marcus Smart, you have your consistent 36-37 percent guys, and then the highest level of shooter, which is knockdown. Kennard fits into that last category and is probably near the very top of that list.
He ranks second all-time in career 3-point percentage at just under 44.3 percent. To see Pelinka pull off a deal for a shooter of Kennard's caliber and only have to give up an expiring salary and a second-round pick way down the line makes this move the biggest robbery of the deadline.
For a Lakers team that ranks bottom-eight in triples made and attempted this season, adding Kennard to the mix for the final stretch and playoffs is huge. In the postseason, the court shrinks, the game slows down, and teams are forced to run way less isolation and more structured offense—that's where Kennard thrives. Whether it's floppy actions, drive and kicks, or hammer action, the Lakers now have a guy who consistently makes defenses pay out of those sets.
Things only get scary when you factor in Reddick's experience as a shooter in the NBA for 15 seasons and the knowledge he has of how to generate open looks from the perimeter.
Although the trade deadline was quiet for the Lakers, the one move they did make has already proven to be impactful and could look even better once the postseason begins.