Reunion With Luke Kennard May Be What the Clippers Need in Free Agency

Luke Kennard has been a revelation for the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs. The former Clippers sharpshooter has been one of the brightest spots in the postseason, helping the Lakers deliver two unexpected wins over the Rockets without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Kennard's performance has made it clear once again what the Clippers need in the offseason. In fact, Kennard himself could be exactly what the Clippers are looking for.

The 29-year-old shooting guard will be a free agent this summer. The Lakers may have interest in keeping him, but Kennard's fit on the full-strength Lakers is less clear.

With the Austin Reaves-Luka Doncic backcourt, the Lakers already have serious defensive concerns. Adding Kennard, another defensive liability, next to those stars may not be the best idea. Of course, Kennard doesn't have to share the court with Doncic and Reaves, but the Lakers may still prefer to go with a defense-first third guard instead of Kennard.

Plus, the Lakers' offseason priorities with the looming free agency of Reaves and LeBron James are currently unclear. This may allow Kennard to slip through the cracks.

Luke Kennard's Free Agency Gives Clippers a Reunion Opportunity

This could present an opportunity for the Clippers to bring Kennard back to their side of the city. The veteran shooter is already familiar with the organization and the team after having spent two and a half seasons as a Clipper. He shot 44.8% from three during his time under Ty Lue and was an important part of the Conference Finals run in 2021.

In the 2025-26 season, the Clippers were in the bottom ten of the league in both three-pointers attempted and made. There is a real lack of high-volume, high-accuracy shooters on the team. The best shooters on the team were Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard, and the Clippers weren't able to surround them with enough shooting. In fact, there were no players on the roster who made more than 1.5 threes per game besides Garland and Leonard.

Kennard would single-handedly change this. The Clippers have enough wing defenders like Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn to make up for Kennard's defensive shortcomings. Not only would Kennard be the off-ball threat that the Clippers have lacked all season, but he could also do ballhandling and playmaking off the bench.

The Clippers currently have $39 million in cap space before having to pay John Collins and Bennedict Mathurin. They can create significantly more by not picking up team options for Bogdan Bogdanovic ($16 million) and Brook Lopez ($9.1 million). This would give LA plenty of cap space to bring back Collins and Mathurin, while also signing Kennard. How much the Clippers will prioritize shooting over other weaknesses, most notably the need for a center, remains to be seen.

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