The Lakers didn’t make a splashy move when they acquired sharpshooter Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks for Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick Thursday morning before the NBA trade deadline, but the deal allowed L.A. to address its needs now while still saving draft capital so it can join the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes over the summer, according to people not authorized to speak publicly.
The Lakers will make a hard push to acquire the All-Star forward during the summer, people with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Times, after the Milwaukee Bucks declined to deal the two-time most valuable player by the noon deadline.
People close to Antetokounmpo said the New York Knicks and Miami Heat are his preferred destinations, but he would not rule out the Lakers.
The Lakers are projected to have about $60 million in salary-cap space and three first-round draft picks they can use — 2026, 2031 and 2033 — to try to make a deal for Antetokounmpo.
“Excited about Luke,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the team officially announced the trade during a win over the 76ers. “Known him for about 12 years now and I think he is one of the best shooters in the NBA. I’m going to entirely encourage him to shoot more and not turn down shots. But I think one of the underrated parts of his game is his ability to move and create second actions and move the basketball and you’ve seen that now at a number of his stops. … He’ll be a corner threat and he’ll be an off-ball threat and we’re excited to have him.”
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time most valuable player and expected to attract big attention in the offseason.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The contracts of LeBron James ($52.6 million), Rui Hachimura ($18 million) and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) expire after this season, which opens the door for the Lakers to have a lot more cash.
Austin Reaves has a player option for $14.8 million that he has declined. It’s expected that he will re-sign with the Lakers, who can offer him the biggest deal at $241 million over five years.
The Lakers are expected to be one of the few teams that can absorb Antetokounmpo’s $58.4-million contract for next season. If they have cap space and acquire him in the offseason, the Lakers wouldn’t be required to send back players with contracts close to equal value.
Antetokounmpo has a player option of $62.7 million for the 2027-28 season, but he surely would be looking for a new contract if he changes teams, and the Lakers would be more than willing to give him an extension to improve their chances of winning a championship.
The Lakers like that Kennard’s shooting can create space on the court for Luka Doncic, James and Reaves, who returned to play Tuesday night at Brooklyn after missing 19 games because of a left calf strain.
Kennard, a 6-foot-5 guard, is shooting an NBA-best 49.7% from three-point range over 46 games, all off the bench. He has shot 44.2% from three-point range over his nine-year career.
Kennard is averaging 7.9 points per game, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists and shooting 53.8% from the field. He might not be the defender the Lakers were hoping to get, but Kennard’s ability to knock down open shots was seen as a positive, according to the same people.
Vincent was shooting only 34.6% from the field, mostly off the bench.
“Obviously, as everybody knows, he’s one of the best three-point shooters in the league,” Reaves said of Kennard. “If he has any time and space, playing against him, you gave him time and space, you consider it a bucket. So, just being able to space the floor, a guy that knows how to play basketball, stands for the right things. It’ll be fun. I can’t wait to get to work with him.”
The Lakers (30-19), who went 5-3 on their recent eight-game trip, return home to play the Philadelphia 76ers tonight at Crypto.com Arena.
They have five games at home before the weeklong All-Star break and then play three more games in L.A. before going back on the road at the end of February.