ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks remained busy before the NBA trade deadline Thursday by acquiring point guard Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for shooting guard Luke Kennard.
Vincent provides depth and steady point guard play for the Hawks, whose busy trade season began with the deal which sent All-Star point guard Trae Young to Washington for a package including guards CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker on Jan. 7. Vincent has been dogged by injuries while playing in just 29 games this season, averaging 4.8 points and struggling with his outside shot in his third season with the Lakers.
The 29-year-old Kennard was the Lakers' only deadline acquisition, but he addresses their biggest offensive need. He has averaged 7.9 points in 46 games for Atlanta, but he leads the NBA with 49.7 per cent shooting on three-point attempts.
Los Angeles is hitting only 34.8 per cent of its shots from behind the arc this season, ranking 22nd in the league and hindering an offence that needs floor-spacing, defence-stretching options to play alongside Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
Kennard will wear No. 10 when he becomes the 70th player in league history to suit up for both the Lakers and the crosstown Los Angeles Clippers. He was a role player on the Clippers' 2021 Western Conference finals team during 2 1/2 seasons with the franchise.
On Wednesday, the Hawks acquired centre Jock Landale from the Utah Jazz for cash considerations and traded centre Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State in exchange for forward Jonathan Kuminga and guard Buddy Hield.
Also Thursday, Atlanta requested waivers on injured centre Duop Reath and centre N'Faly Dante. Dante is out for the season with a knee injury. The Hawks acquired Reath on Sunday in a trade that sent forward Vit Krejci to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Hawks also obtained second-round draft picks in 2027 and 2030 in the deal.
