Luke Kennard might not be wearing purple and gold next season. The Phoenix Suns are expected to make a serious run at the sharpshooter once free agency opens, according to Sam Amick and Dan Woike of The Athletic. That puts the Lakers in a bind: they want Kennard back, but now they’ve got competition from a Western Conference rival that just got a lot more interesting.
Kennard carved out a real role in Los Angeles after the Lakers grabbed him from Atlanta at the trade deadline. He gave them 9 points a night on 44 percent shooting from deep during the regular season. But it was the playoffs where he really made his mark. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves banged up late in the year, Kennard stepped into a bigger role and averaged 11.5 points while hitting 47.4 percent of his threes. That kind of shooting doesn’t go unnoticed.
Phoenix just reshuffled their roster by bringing in Miles Bridges, which means they’re all-in on building around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Adding a knockdown shooter like Kennard fits that plan perfectly. And if the Suns pull it off, they’d be stealing a key piece from a Lakers team that’s trying to figure out the right mix around Luka Doncic.
The Lakers don’t have a ton of cap flexibility, and Kennard’s playoff performance probably bumped up his asking price. He shot 49 percent from three for the Hawks before the trade and damn near 92 percent from the free-throw line. That’s not a fluke. That’s a guy who knows exactly what he does on a court.
Both teams need shooting. The Lakers need it around Doncic. The Suns need it to space the floor for Bridges and Booker. Kennard’s gonna get paid. The question is which uniform he does it in.
Free agency opens later today. The Lakers front office has some decisions to make. Kennard isn’t their only hole — they need depth at center and another ball-handler — but losing a guy who shot like that in the playoffs would sting. Phoenix knows it.
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