Hawks trade Luke Kennard to the Lakers

The Hawks have been busy leading up to the trade deadline, completing a handful of deals, with the latest involving Luke Kennard, who is heading to the Lakers for Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick.

Kennard appeared in 46 games for the Hawks after signing a one-year, $11 million contract in the offseason. He averaged just 7.9 points per game, but did so on ridiculous 54/50/91 shooting splits. The biggest issue for the Hawks was convincing him to shoot more, which makes this a solid pickup for the Lakers considering they didn’t give up much.

Atlanta is receiving a 2032 second-round pick along with backup point guard Gabe Vincent, who is averaging just 4.8 points on 34.6% shooting from the field and 36.9% from three-point range. Like Kennard, Vincent is on an expiring contract, and the two have nearly identical salaries this season.

The Hawks had a logjam on the wing following Wednesday night’s trade that netted them Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. They also have a desperate need for guard help with Trae Young now in Washington. However, Vincent hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire since signing a three-year, $33 million deal with the Lakers. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s ultimately waived as the Hawks continue to tweak their roster.

Another thing to consider, the Hawks can use their $13.1 million trade player exception on Vincent, which was set to expire tomorrow. And by moving Kennard, they now create a new $11 million trade player exception they can use in the future.