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.
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.
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 Lakers are expected to be the one of the few teams that can absorb Antetokounmpo’s $58.4-million contract for next season.
Antetokounmpo has a player option of $62.7 million for the 2027-28 season, but he surely will be looking for a new contract with his next team. The Lakers will be more than willing to give him an extension to improve their chances of winning an NBA championship in the long term.
The Lakers like the idea that Kennard’s shooting can create space on the court for Luka Doncic, James and Reaves, who just 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 with the Hawks this season 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. He is 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.
The Lakers, who are coming off an eight-game trip during which they went 5-3, 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.
