When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luke Kennard at the trade deadline last season, it was mostly viewed as a minor move, albeit one that gave L.A. one of the best shooters in NBA history. But Kennard proved to be much more than that, showing off his ability to be more of a creator in the postseason when the Lakers lost Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to injury.
Kennard has now played for five teams in his nine NBA seasons, never spending more than three years with one team, but the soon-to-be 30 year old would prefer to stick around in L.A. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Kennard has interest in staying with the Lakers long term:
Kennard, for his part, was on an $11 million expiring contract and has interest in making L.A. his long-term home after previously playing 2½ seasons with the LA Clippers.
That interest appears to be mutual from the Lakers as well:
The Lakers are interested in retaining Marcus Smart and sharpshooter Luke Kennard, sources told ESPN.
As was noted, Kennard has previously called Los Angeles his home for some time so he is comfortable in the area and he obviously has a great connection with his teammates and head coach JJ Redick. Kennard is an absolutely elite shooter, which is something that is needed around Doncic, but he also showed that he has other facets to his game.
Kennard proved that he isn’t just a shooter, but a scorer who can attack the basket when teams closeout recklessly and either finish at the rim or make the right play with his passing and court vision. While he’ll never be a great 1-on-1 defender, he does give great effort and his high IQ allows him to be a decent team defender and come up with steals or draw charges with good timing and rotations.
The question is just how much the Lakers prioritize bringing Kennard back this summer as the team must also make decisions on other important role players such as Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes, while also exploring other avenues to improve this roster into championship contention. Navigating this extremely important offseason the right way is crucial for the Lakers and whether Kennard fits into those plans remains to be seen.
Marcus Smart hoping for pay raise to remain with Lakers
Smart is another player who was critical to the Lakers’ success this past season and the veteran guard is likely to opt out of his contract and hit free agency this summer. But Smart hopes to remain with the Lakers, just at a higher price than the $5.2 million he made last year.
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