Story by
Suns steal Luke Kennard from Lakers with new $13 million contract
- Story by
- Suns steal Luke Kennard from Lakers with new $13 million contract
Suns steal Luke Kennard from Lakers with new $13 million contract appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Phoenix Suns are signing sharpshooter Luke Kennard to a two-year, nearly $13 million contract, league sources told ClutchPoints on Tuesday evening.
Advertisement
Kennard, 30, joins a Suns team in desperate need of 3-point shooting alongside All-Star guard Devin Booker after recently trading Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale for Miles Bridges . This new-look Suns team will look to space the floor, and Kennard will have plenty of opportunities to score as a catch-and-shoot option, a role Allen thrived in during his tenure in Phoenix.
Last season, Kennard was traded by the Atlanta Hawks to the Los Angeles Lakers at the trade deadline, instantly becoming a focal point of JJ Redick's offense in LA. Kennard shot 44.8 percent from 3-point range in 32 games with the Lakers and finished the 2025-26 season shooting 47.8 percent from deep, the highest 3-point shooting percentage in the NBA.
In the playoffs, Kennard was fantastic for the Lakers, averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from 3-point range. Lakers fans will remember his Game 1 and Game 2 performances in the first round against the Houston Rockets , where Kennard scored 50 combined points on 8-of-11 shooting from 3-point range, helping Los Angeles take down the Rockets in six games.
Although Allen had always been a valued member of the Suns' roster, the organization decided now was the right time to part ways with him.
Advertisement
Aside from injury problems hindering his availability, Allen still had $37.4 million remaining on his contract through the 2027-28 season. After leading the league in 3-point shooting percentage during the 2023-24 season with Phoenix and shooting over 40 percent from deep in two of his three seasons in Phoenix, Allen was packaged in a deal with O'Neale, another reliable perimeter threat, to acquire Bridges.
This hole on the perimeter left by Allen and O'Neale being traded will immediately be filled by Kennard, who will likely be a key sixth-man option on Jordan Ott's bench.
The Suns now hold plenty of depth at every position on their roster. Booker will lead the way in the backcourt, with Bridges, Jalen Green , Dillon Brooks , and Mark Williams rounding out the Suns' projected starting five.
Collin Gillespie , who returned to the team on a new multi-year contract , is joined by Kennard, Jordan Goodwin , Ryan Dunn , Oso Ighodaro , and Khaman Maluach , among others, as a solid second unit in Phoenix.
Advertisement
Since the Suns are currently above the first apron, Kennard will likely be accepting the taxpayer mid-level exception (about $6.06 million for the 2026-27 season). Kennard fills the team's final roster spot and puts them about $5 million below the second apron.
Related: NBA rumors: Lakers threat emerges to sign Luke Kennard
