Lakers Acquire $11M Guard for Gabe Vincent

Jan 28, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) brings the ball up court in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

There are only a few more hours remaining before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, with the Los Angeles Lakers exploring all their options to improve the team's roster for the rest of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Although every team in the league is on Giannis Antetokounmpo watch, especially after the Golden State Warriors are no longer in the running to trade for him, the Lakers are trying to do what they can with what they have to work with.

Lakers Land Luke Kennard in Trade With Hawks

Jan 15, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard/forward Luke Kennard (4) shoots the ball over Portland Trail Blazers center/forward Robert Williams III (35) during the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Lakers have acquired sharpshooter Luke Kennard in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Gabe Vincent and a second-round draft pick.

The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Luke Kennard, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2026

Vincent had a good run with the Miami Heat before signing with the Lakers a few years ago, but he never reclaimed his former form from his time playing for Erik Spoelstra and was a disappointment in Los Angeles.

That said, the addition of Kennard is somewhat of a brilliant move by the Lakers' brass, as it immediately improves the team's outside shooting. Kennard is a sharpshooter and is currently leading the NBA in three-point percentage at 49.7 percent.

Luke Kennard is currently leading the NBA in three-point percentage at 49.7% 🎯 pic.twitter.com/bqAYAovbhB

— Polymarket Hoops (@PolymarketHoops) February 5, 2026

The Lakers will be Kennard's fifth team in the NBA, as he has had previous stints with the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Hawks. He played only 46 games for Atlanta before being traded on Thursday.

In the 46 games he's played so far this season, Kennard is averaging 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 53.8 percent from the field and a league-leading 49.7 percent from beyond the arc.

This trade may not be a massive move or a total game-changer, but it does improve the squad moving forward, which is all the team can ask for given the assets they have at this point in time.

The question now is whether this is the only move that Rob Pelinka and company make ahead of the NBA trade deadline. The team still has some expiring contracts that can be moved, like Rui Hachimura and Maxi Kleber, as well as Dalton Knecht, but it remains to be seen whether there's any real interest in those players in the remaining hours leading up to the deadline on Thursday.

The Lakers have until 12 p.m. PST to make trades and then the attention to turn to the buyout market.