Lakers battle West rival for Luke Kennard’s free agent contract

Lakers battle West rival for Luke Kennard’s free agent contract originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Even without LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers need a player like Luke Kennard. 

The way Luka Doncic creates offense generates looks for shooters, and there are few better shooters in the NBA than the lefty Kennard.

It’s not a guarantee the Lakers will keep Kennard, though.

He’s coming off a season in which he shot 47.8% from 3-point range, an absurd rate that makes him desirable around the league.

The main competition might be the Phoenix Suns.

“League sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations, tell Sam Amick and me that guard Luke Kennard is expected to draw significant interest from the Phoenix Suns once free agency officially opens later today,” The Athletic’s Dan Woike wrote on Tuesday.

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The good news for Lakers fans is that L.A. isn’t entirely out of the picture.

“Kennard, one of the playoff heroes for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, led the NBA in 3-point shooting, averaging 47.8 percent from beyond the arc — numbers stretched across his time with the Atlanta Hawks and the Lakers, who acquired him at the trade deadline,” Woike writes. “The Suns are looking for shooting help after trading Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen to Charlotte. The Lakers, too, have interest in Kennard.”

Kennard also proved when the Lakers dealt with injuries that he can be more of a playmaker, too.

It’s logical for the Lakers to want Kennard back. 

It also makes sense that a team like the Suns could want him.

You can’t teach players to shoot as well as Kennard does. In the modern NBA, that’s incredibly valuable.

Wherever Kennard lands, he’ll make a big difference.

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