LOS ANGELES — The Lakers had a few glaring needs entering Thursday’s NBA trade deadline: athleticism, perimeter defense, toughness and 3-point shooting.

And by acquiring Luke Kennard from the Hawks in a trade that’ll send Gabe Vincent and their 2032 second-round pick to Atlanta, the Lakers addressed at least one of those needs with an upgrade to the backend of their rotation as they look to make a push for the playoffs.

In Kennard, the Lakers will have one of the league’s best shooters. He’s shooting a league-best 49.7% from beyond the arc in 2025-26. 

The Lakers had a few glaring needs entering Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, one which was filled by Luke Kennard. Getty Images

And for a Lakers team that entered Thursday ranked No. 22 in 3-point percentage (34.9%), the added perimeter shooting and spacing around Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James will be welcomed in Los Angeles. 

But how exactly will the Lakers benefit from Kennard’s shooting? And will the trade get the Lakers any closer to contending for a championship?

A flamethrower

Kennard’s career-best 3-point shooting isn’t a fluke.

He’s shot 44.2% on 3s for his career, which is the second-highest mark in league history among qualified players.

His catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage of 51.2% is also a league-best mark among the 309 players who’ve attempted at least 40 catch-and-shoot 3s this season. He’s been top-five in catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage (minimum 70 attempts) in the three previous seasons (2022-25), including also leading the league at 52.6% in 2022-23.

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Kennard’s ability to stretch the floor and knock down open shots from beyond the arc for a Lakers team that was bottom-10 in “open” 3-point shooting, “wide-open” 3-point shooting, catch-and-shoot 3-point shooting, and was the second-worst corner 3-point shooting team in the league. 

Kennard will serve as an offensive release valve on the perimeter in a similar way Rui Hachimura does for the Lakers. And as a versatile shooter who can shoot off movement, coach JJ Redick can draw up plays for Kennard that he’d sometimes run for Vincent, but Kennard is more equipped for.

Vincent was having the best shooting season of his career before being traded, shooting 36.9% from beyond the arc, but Kennard is in a different stratosphere. 

Kennard has been a poor perimeter and rotational defender for several seasons. NBAE via Getty Images

A stepback defensively 

As much as Kennard is an improvement over Vincent as a perimeter shooter, he’s just as much — if not even more — of a step back as a perimeter defender compared to Vincent. 

Kennard has been a poor perimeter and rotational defender for several seasons, and it’s unlikely that’ll change on a Lakers team that has struggled as a team in many areas. 

The Lakers already had an issue of their best offensive players or shooters not being good defenders, and their best defenders not being consistent offensive threats, especially from beyond the arc.

Adding Kennard only makes this issue worse. 

Kennard is on a one-year, $11 million contract that’ll expire after this season. AP

Bigger picture 

The Lakers were able to address one of their biggest needs without having to give up one of their top rotation players or having to sacrifice any cap flexibility this offseason — one of their biggest priorities entering Thursday — making the acquisition of Kennard more than worth their while. 

Kennard is on a one-year, $11 million contract that’ll expire after this season.

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But even with Kennard addressing a need, he alone won’t be enough to get the Lakers closer to being a contender.

But the Lakers may not be done changing their roster. 

They still have an open roster spot that they could use to sign a player off the buyout market, or convert one of their two-way players — Drew Timme, Nick Smith Jr. or Chris Manon — to a standard contract. 

The Lakers don’t have the two-way balance the teams above them in the Western Conference standings have, like the Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Timberwolves or even the Rockets. 

But they’re better than they were before without having to take away from their future plans, which is a victory within itself.