Somewhat lost in the shuffle amongst all of the Los Angeles Lakers’ free agents has been sharpshooting guard Luke Kennard. The Lakers acquired Kennard at the trade deadline and he wound up making a massive impact down the stretch of the season and in the playoffs.
Kennard is set to hit free agency this summer and the guard admitted that he doesn’t know if he’ll be returning to the Lakers, but still feels it was an honor and blessing to be a member of this franchise.
“When I first got traded here, it was how can I make an impact? Like, I want to make an impact, I want to go win and be a part of something special,” Kennard said after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs. “I think just playing for the Lakers and playing with some of the greats of the game, you don’t take it for granted. I didn’t and it’s an honor. I’m blessed to be in the position that I was in.
“I think for me as a player, just to be a part of an organization like this is something special. You see it firsthand and like I said, I’m just blessed to be able to be a part of it. Obviously going into Year 10 next year, I wanna win. That’s a big thing for me. Wherever that may be, obviously I’m a free agent but gonna spend some time with my family and decide on some stuff later.
“But like I said, I’ve been honored and blessed to be part of this organization. Whether it’s here or somewhere else, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Kennard stepped up big time for the Lakers in the postseason as the team was without their starting backcourt of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. While he did come back down to earth after a scorching start to the playoffs, Kennard was one of the only trusted reserves in the final few games of the season.
The Lakers have a ton of decisions to make this summer on their role players as Kennard, Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes could all be free agents, not to mention two of their stars in Reaves and LeBron James also being on the market. Now it will be a matter of whether the Lakers and Kennard can work out a proper new deal that sees him back in purple and gold.
Lakers interested in re-signing Marcus Smart
Smart was the other guard alongside Kennard to really step into a larger role in the playoffs with the Lakers down both Doncic and Reaves and, like Kennard, could also be a free agent if he opts out of his contract. If he does so, the Lakers are reportedly interested in bringing back their defensive leader.
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