The Los Angeles Lakers have been quiet ahead of the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline, but have made a deal to help bolster the roster. The team made the decision to make a move to help the sixth-seeded Lakers with their 30-19 record in an attempt to make a run for a top seed. It makes sense, as they are just 3.5 games back of the San Antonio Spurs for the second seed in the West. Let’s take a closer look at the trade the Lakers made and discuss what it means going forward.
The Los Angeles Lakers add Luke Kennard
With only a few hours left before the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks have agreed to a trade. The Lakers are sending Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick in exchange for Luke Kennard. This trade seemingly helps the Lakers create a lot of spacing while moving on from Vincent’s struggles.
Kennard has been one of the best 3-point shooters in the entire league, leading the NBA with a 49.7 3-point percentage this season. It’s not a flash in the pan either, as he is shooting 44.2% from beyond the arc over his nine-year career. He is averaging 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.7 steals in 20.5 minutes over 46 games off the bench.
Gabe Vincent has struggled to get much going in his three seasons with the Lakers off the bench, so getting more shooting around LeBron James and Luka Doncic this season is certainly not a bad option. Kennard is on a one-year, $11 million contract, so this could be a mercenary for the season.
This helps the Los Angeles Lakers as they are looking to climb the Western Conference standings. For the Atlanta Hawks, they are adding a veteran guard while also receiving a draft pick and an $11 milion trade exception. This helps the Hawks for the future while also helping the Lakers for this season. It will be intriguing to see how this trade plays out for the second-half of the season.
