Luke Kennard goes to the Phoenix Suns: a two-year deal worth 13 million dollars brings Arizona one of the league's best shooters
PHOENIX, USA — The Phoenix Suns have agreed on the arrival of Luke Kennard, an experienced shooting guard who finished the last season with the Los Angeles Lakers and entered the market as a free agent. According to information reported by ESPN, Kennard agreed to a two-year contract worth 13 million US dollars, with the second season including a player option. Since the agreement is taking place during the NBA moratorium, under league rules it is currently considered an agreement that can formally be signed after July 6, 2026, when clubs can begin finalizing most contracts with free agents. For the Suns, this is a move that clearly shows the intention to further expand the offense with a player whose main value is an elite shooting presence. For the Lakers, meanwhile, Kennard's departure means the loss of a reliable rotation member who, in the final stretch of the season, provided exactly what modern NBA offenses seek most: spacing, a quick release, and defenses that cannot collapse too much toward the paint.
An agreement still awaiting formalization
According to ESPN's report, Kennard's move to Phoenix was agreed in the first hours of the free-agent market for the 2026/27 season. Although in everyday sports language such deals are often described as signed contracts, the NBA, in its own explanation of the rules, states that the period from July 1 to July 6 is a moratorium during which clubs and players may negotiate and reach agreements, but most contracts cannot become official before 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on July 6. For that reason, it is more precise to say that Kennard has agreed to join the Suns, while the formal confirmation will depend on the usual conclusion of the moratorium and club procedures. The player option in the second year gives him the possibility, after his first season in Phoenix, to decide for himself whether he wants to continue the contract or test the market again. Such a structure simultaneously offers the Suns short-term help in the rotation, while preserving flexibility for the player if his role and market value rise.
A contract worth 13 million dollars over two years fits the profile of a specialist who does not need to carry a large part of the offense in order to have a significant impact. Kennard was not brought in to take over the role of primary creator, but to punish double-teams, open passing angles, and keep defenses stretched around Phoenix's main offensive options. In the NBA, that type of player is especially important in the playoffs, when defenses adjust more and more aggressively to stars and try to close off the paint or the middle of the floor. A shooter who can hit from a standstill, after coming off a screen, or after a short movement without the ball forces opponents into more difficult decisions. That is precisely why Kennard's arrival should not be viewed only through points per game, but through the way he changes the geometry of the offense.
A shooting profile rarely found on the market
Kennard's strongest argument lies in the numbers. According to ESPN's statistics for the 2025/26 season, in 78 games between the Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Lakers, he averaged a total of 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 21.6 minutes per game, while shooting 47.8 percent from three-point range. ESPN also states that with that percentage he led the league in three-point accuracy, placing him among the most valuable specialists available on the free-agent market. After arriving at the Lakers, he played 32 regular-season games, and the same source records that during that period he averaged 9.0 points while shooting 44.8 percent from three-point range. His performance was not merely the result of a short streak of made shots, because ESPN's career statistics show that across 538 games in the NBA, he made 44.2 percent of his attempts from behind the three-point line. For a player entering his tenth NBA season, that is a large enough sample to consider him one of the most stable shooters of his generation.
The NBA's official profile states that Kennard is 1.96 meters tall, attended Duke, and was selected as the 12th pick in the first round of the 2017 draft. In his career, he has played for several clubs, and such a path further emphasizes his ability to adapt to different systems. He is not a player who needs a large number of isolations or an offense built around him. His value comes from reading space, timely movement along the perimeter, and quick decision-making when the ball arrives after a drive or a double-team. With such players, the opponent's defensive scouting must remain constantly active, because even a small mistake in rotation can mean an open three-pointer. Phoenix thereby gets a player who can raise the efficiency of reserve lineups, but also play alongside the team's leaders when additional offensive width is needed.
Why Phoenix was looking for exactly this profile
Phoenix has gone through roster changes in recent seasons and has sought a balance between individual quality, rotation depth, and the financial restrictions imposed by the new collective bargaining agreement. The Suns' official roster and NBA.com data show that the team is still built around strong offensive names, and an additional shooter on the outside positions is a logical addition to such a roster. When a team has players who can create an advantage on drives, from the pick-and-roll, or in one-on-one play, every reliable shooter in the corner or on the wing increases the space for the finish of the action. In that sense, Kennard does not change the team's identity, but complements it. His arrival allows the coach to use lineups more often in which it is not easy to help off the outside positions, because any excessive defensive collapse will leave a high-percentage shooter on the perimeter.
For the Suns, it is also important that Kennard does not require a high volume of touches to be useful. In modern NBA basketball, it is not enough to have a player who can make a shot when he is completely alone; what is sought is someone who is ready to shoot quickly, from different angles and after movement, but also disciplined enough to pass the ball if the defense closes out aggressively toward him. Kennard has shown exactly that profile during his career. His assist averages are not star-level, but they indicate that he is not exclusively a static shooter. When an opponent flies over a screen or takes away the first shot, he can extend the play with an extra pass, attack the closeout with one or two dribbles, and maintain the rhythm of the possession. Such small decisions often do not make headlines, but in an offense that wants to be efficient throughout the entire game, they have great value.
The Lakers lose a proven bench piece
The Los Angeles Lakers, according to the Lakers' announcement on NBA.com, brought in Kennard on February 5, 2026, and his short stay in California proved useful precisely because of his shooting specialization. On a team that already had major creators, his role was clear: spread the floor, punish help defense, and stabilize the offense of the second units. ESPN's data for his segment of the season with the Lakers confirms that he remained very efficient, with more than 50 percent overall shooting from the field and a high three-point percentage. Such a profile is not easy to replace, especially when the free-agent market quickly consumes players who can immediately enter the rotation of a team with playoff ambitions. The Lakers will therefore have to find another source of perimeter shooting, whether through a new signing, a trade, or more space for existing players.
Kennard's departure does not have to change the Lakers' direction by itself, but it reduces one important option in the offense. In the playoffs, it is often clear how valuable a player is whom the opponent cannot routinely leave a meter of space. If the defense stays close to Kennard, more room opens up for drives and the play of big men; if the defense drops back, the result is a shot he has made throughout his career with elite accuracy. Such a simple threat makes the offense more predictable for his own team, but more uncomfortable for the opponent. That is why his departure will be felt most in Los Angeles in situations when it is necessary to break a zone, punish a double-team, or restore the rhythm of the offense after several empty possessions. Phoenix, on the other hand, is taking on exactly that specialized tool.
What the player option in the second season means
The second season with a player option is an important detail because it changes the way both sides enter the partnership. According to the NBA's explanation of contract options, a player option gives a basketball player the right to decide for himself whether he will extend the contract for an additional season or enter the market as a free agent. In Kennard's case, that means that after his first season in Phoenix, he could assess his role, health, market value, and the team's ambitions before making a final decision. For the Suns, the risk is limited because this is not a long-term and financially heavy contract. For the player, it is an opportunity, in a system that could suit him, to once again confirm his reputation as one of the league's best shooters and potentially secure a new contract on more favorable terms.
Such a structure is increasingly common for veterans who have a clearly recognizable skill, but want to retain control over the next step of their careers. Teams gain short-term security and the ability to fill a specific need, while the player receives protection in case of a weaker market, but also an exit if the season is successful. Kennard's contract should therefore be read as a pragmatic agreement. Phoenix is not taking on a large multi-year burden, and Kennard is not closing the door to future options. In a league where the value of shooters can change quickly depending on the market, health, and the playoffs, flexibility is often just as important as the total contract amount.
A role that could be visible immediately
In Phoenix, Kennard should compete for minutes at the guard and wing positions, primarily as a player who comes off the bench and immediately changes the defensive alignment. His presence can be especially useful in lineups in which the Suns want to surround the main creators with additional shooting and reduce the possibility of opponents helping from the corner. In the regular season, such a player brings stability in long schedules and games in which the main players rest. In the playoffs, his value depends on whether he can remain reliable enough defensively for the coach to keep the shooting plus on the floor. That is the usual balance with specialists: the offensive value must be large enough to cover potential problems in defensive switches or opponents attacking the weaker link.
Still, Kennard's shooting gives him a very clear path to minutes. Players with a career 44.2 percent from three-point range are rarely neutral for the defense; simply by standing in the right place, they already change opponents' decisions. If Phoenix plays with more creators and looks for quick decisions after drives, Kennard can be the natural finishing point of many actions. If the opponent decides to switch and aggressively close the perimeter, his ability to extend the offense with an extra pass will be just as important as the shot itself. For that reason, his arrival in Arizona is not a major star transfer, but it is a move with clear basketball logic. On a roster looking for efficiency, width, and reliable role players, such a profile can have a greater impact than the contract value alone suggests.
The broader context of the NBA market
The NBA free-agent market increasingly rewards players who have at least one elite, easily transferable skill. In Kennard's case, that is shooting, and his accuracy across multiple seasons makes him a safer choice than players who have had only one exceptionally good year. According to StatMuse, Kennard finished the 2025/26 season with the highest three-point percentage in the league, and ESPN's statistics confirm the same seasonal performance of 47.8 percent. Such numbers come with an important note: the volume of attempts for specialists can be lower than for main offensive options, so the performance should be viewed together with the role. But the role is exactly what Phoenix is looking for. The Suns did not necessarily need a player who would take many difficult shots, but someone who would finish open opportunities created by others with high efficiency.
Unlike large contracts that determine the long-term fate of a franchise, deals like this often pass more quietly, but they can decide rotation depth and the quality of lineups outside the starting five. Phoenix has gained a player whose contribution can be clearly measured through the space he opens and the percentages he brings. The Lakers have lost a shooter who fit well into their needs after the trade during the season. Kennard has gained a new environment and a contract that leaves him control over next summer. According to the information available on July 01, 2026, only the formal part of the process remains: the end of the NBA moratorium and the official confirmation of the contract after the league allows most free-agent deals to be finalized.
Sources:
- ESPN – report on Luke Kennard's agreement with the Phoenix Suns and player statistics for the 2025/26 season (link)
- ESPN – Luke Kennard's career statistics, including three-point performance and numbers by club (link)
- NBA.com – Luke Kennard's official profile with basic data, draft information, and news (link)
- NBA.com – explanation of free-agent rules, the moratorium, and player options (link)
- Los Angeles Lakers / NBA.com – club page with the announcement and content about Kennard's arrival at the Lakers during the 2025/26 season (link)
- StatMuse – overview of the three-point percentage leaderboard in the 2025/26 season and confirmation of Kennard's 47.8 percent mark (link)