The Lakers are set to lose one of the best shooters on their roster and in the NBA.
Luke Kennard came to LA at the deadline and immediately provided elite shooting and scoring off the bench. But as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, he is reportedly leaving the Lakers and joining the Suns, as first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.
Entering the offseason, Kennard re-signing with the Lakers seemed very possible. He spoke fondly about the Lakers during his exit interview, calling the franchise special. From the team’s side, it was reported that the Lakers were interested in retaining Kennard.
The Lakers losing Kennard is a massive blow as he was a very productive player. Also, with LeBron James out of LA, the roster is suddenly missing multiple players who were a part of it last year. With Kennard making so little, this seems like a deal the Lakers could’ve matched. However, that is not the case, and Kennard will continue his career in Phoenix.
During the regular season, Kennard was a laser for the Lakers. He converted on 53.3% of his attempts and made 47.8% of his shots from deep, making him the league leader in 3-point percentage.
During the playoffs, Kennard elevated his game. In Game 1 against the Rockets, he had a great performance, scoring 27 points in LA’s surprising win.
Kennard remained an effective player throughout the playoffs. He averaged 11.5 points, which was higher than his regular-season average of nine points with the Lakers. His shooting from beyond the arc also remained high, making 47.4% of his threes.
Now that Kennard is gone, the Lakers will have to find another player they can rely on for outside shooting to be an offensive boost for the team. Considering how slim the free agency market is, that will be a difficult thing to accomplish.
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