Los Angeles, United States
News Desk | Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired veteran guard Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks in a trade completed ahead of the NBA’s midseason deadline on Thursday, according to multiple media reports and league sources. The deal sends guard Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round draft pick to Atlanta as Los Angeles seeks to strengthen perimeter shooting for the remainder of the 2025–26 season.
Luke Kennard, 29, is averaging about 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists across 46 games this season while posting a career-best 49.7% from three-point range, among the highest marks in the league. Team officials view his shooting as a way to create spacing alongside high-usage players on the Lakers’ roster, league coverage reported.
Atlanta receives Vincent, also 29, who is averaging 4.8 points this season, along with the future draft selection and the financial flexibility associated with the transaction, according to reports citing league sources. The Hawks have prioritized accumulating draft assets and managing expiring contracts as part of broader roster adjustments ahead of the deadline.
Luke Kennard, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard drafted 12th overall in 2017 out of Duke, has built a reputation as one of the NBA’s most efficient perimeter shooters, carrying a career three-point percentage above 44%. He previously played for the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies before joining Atlanta.
The move was finalized hours before the league’s trade cutoff, with Los Angeles not expected to pursue additional deals before the deadline and instead evaluating larger roster changes in the offseason, according to reporting from people familiar with the situation.
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