The Phoenix Suns have completed a two-year, $13 million deal with guard Luke Kennard, the team confirmed in a press release on July 14. The agreement, first reported on June 30, includes a player option for the second season.
“Luke’s work ethic and commitment have made him one of the most efficient three-point shooters in NBA history,” general manager Brian Gregory said in the announcement. “His floor spacing, high basketball IQ and connective playmaking add another dimension to our offense.”
Proven Long-Range Threat
Kennard, 30, split last season between Atlanta and Los Angeles before finishing the year with the Lakers. Across 78 games he averaged 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and a career-best 47.8 percent from three-point range.
With a lifetime 44.2 percent mark from deep, Kennard ranks second in NBA history among players with at least 250 made threes, trailing only Golden State head coach Steve Kerr (45.4 percent). He has led the league in three-point percentage three separate seasons.
Roster and Cap Implications
Phoenix shot 36.1 percent from beyond the arc last year, finishing outside the league’s top 10. After trading Grayson Allen to Charlotte, the club targeted additional perimeter shooting and ultimately landed one of the NBA’s most accurate marksmen. Kennard is expected to back up Jalen Green and Devin Booker on the wing.
Cap analyst Yossi Gozlan noted the contract could fit into the taxpayer mid-level exception if the final annual value comes in slightly under Charania’s reported figure; the taxpayer MLE tops out at $12.4 million over two years. Phoenix could alternatively use the larger non-taxpayer mid-level by dipping below the first apron, a move that would require further roster adjustments.
Kennard, originally drafted by Detroit in 2017, joins his sixth NBA team with the move to Phoenix.
Source: Hoops Rumors
