The Los Angeles Lakers quietly made one of their smartest moves on the final day of the 2025–26 NBA trade deadline.
Los Angeles sent Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Luke Kennard. At first glance, the move did not grab major headlines. But the impact could be significant. Kennard is currently the best three-point shooter in the NBA, knocking down 49.7% of his attempts from deep. That alone gives the Lakers something they badly needed.
The deal immediately boosts the team’s floor spacing. Defenders can no longer sag off shooters when Kennard is on the floor. That opens lanes for stars and makes the offense harder to guard on a nightly basis. For a team chasing a title, that kind of shooting upgrade matters.
However, the trade came with a downside.
Shortly after the move was announced, ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel pointed out a major issue. By including a second-round pick in the Kennard deal, the Lakers are now out of second-round picks entirely. That creates a real problem as the deadline winds down.
Second-round picks are often used to grease the wheels in smaller trades or salary-dump moves. Without them, the Lakers have fewer tools to make additional adjustments. It also raises questions about whether young guard Dalton Knecht remains on the roster, as flexibility is now limited.
Even so, the Lakers are clearly better than they were before the trade. Kennard’s shooting alone changes how opponents must defend them. He adds reliability, spacing, and calm offensive production, all things the team lacked at times earlier in the season.
Still, the lack of remaining draft assets stings. If Los Angeles wanted to make one more move to clean up the roster or add another contributor, it will now be much harder to do so.
The Lakers upgraded where it mattered most. They just may have used their final bullet to do it.