The 29-year-old Kennard was the Lakers' only deadline acquisition, but he addresses their biggest offensive need. He has averaged 7.9 points in 46 games for Atlanta, but he leads the NBA with 49.7% shooting on 3-point attempts.
Los Angeles is hitting only 34.8% of its shots from behind the arc this season, ranking 22nd in the league and hindering an offense that needs floor-spacing, defense-stretching options to play alongside Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
Kennard will wear No. 10 when he becomes the 70th player in league history to suit up for both the Lakers and the crosstown Los Angeles Clippers. He was a role player on the Clippers' 2021 Western Conference finals team during 2½ seasons with the franchise.
On Wednesday, the Hawks acquired center Jock Landale from the Utah Jazz for cash considerations and traded center Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State in exchange for forward Jonathan Kuminga and guard Buddy Hield.
Also Thursday, Atlanta requested waivers on injured center Duop Reath and center N'Faly Dante. Dante is out for the season with a knee injury. The Hawks acquired Reath on Sunday in a trade that sent forward Vit Krejci to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Hawks also obtained second-round draft picks in 2027 and 2030 in the deal.
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