Luke Kennard Discussion

the only teams with money over mle are us, chicago, and bkn. can't see either of those two wanting to pony up big for kennard.

if we operate under the cap, his max with us would probably be room exception. so, he could theoretically be foregoing ~5m per on the open market. that's not nothing, but to get to play in la (big market, desirable location, fringe benefits, etc.), he might do it. especially if we give him the years and options he wants.

yes--if we choose to operate over the cap, we can pay him the max! i suppose we could also sign him early to something over the room exception, but again, you sign him and lebron to their fair market value, and you've basically eaten up every cent of the cap space you worked hard to create.

and maybe that's how we end up playing it. we'll see if the FO are believers in the playoff performances.

 

What a difference having a guy who can hit the broad side of a barn and doesn’t crap his pants when the game gets tight is making for us. I knew he’d be an upgrade but he’s absolutely thriving with us.

No question a guy we need to keep.

 

Ox? Is that you?

 

Pay Kleber the max… give the man what he deserves.

But you’ve brought up some good points. Who out of us, BKN and Chicago is going to offer him above MLE money - and of those teams that are going to have the MLE, there are various players that could be up for it:

Coby White
Rui Hachimura
John Collins
Tobias Harris
Ayo Dosunmu
CJ McCollum
Kelly Oubre Jr
Harrison Barnes
Anfernee Simmons
Kevin Huerter
Quentin Grimes (probably not)

There’s gonna be like what 6-7 teams with the MLE? I think it’s a good bet that we can get Kennard for the room exception at 9.1m.

 

tough to know now, but i think several of those guys are likely to be retained at just over mle by their current teams, right? so the teams with the mle might get a little desperate. historically speaking, people have kind of treated the mle like you treat the max for semi-star rookies--the available players just get it all bc it's the most you can offer. we'll see; like i said, i hope that he enjoys living/playing here enough to take a little less.

 

One thing that should matter to Luke is role/usage, not even volume but how.

He didn't get to do this at his other stops. I do think having a great shooter as your coach who gets it and also knows you can probably do a little more than just shoot is a perk that I don't think is getting enough attention.

I think before injuries to Luka and Austin, he was an $8-10m player. Now I think he's a $12-14m player.

 

Pay that man..and just eat up some of that damn cap space.

 

Yeah. This is probably the biggest role he's gotten since 2020, or maybe ever. Even when Luka and Austin come back, he should maintain a big role and usage, and he should value that.

 

No.

 

Luke ain't no Fluke

 

If they keep winning or losing close, would you have reeves come off the bench when he returns

 

Was a football quarterback in HS as well. The guy has an alpha type personality to do what he's doing here, scaling his game up under dire circumstances.

AI Overview

Luke Kennard grew up in Franklin, Ohio, a city near Dayton. He attended Franklin High School, where he became a standout basketball and football star, earning Ohio Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year honors twice and graduating as one of the state's all-time leading high school scorers.
Key details about Luke Kennard's upbringing:

• Birthplace: Middletown, Ohio.
• Hometown: Franklin, Ohio.
• High School: Franklin High School, where he scored 2,977 career points (second-most in Ohio history at the time).
• Multi-sport athlete:
  He was a standout quarterback for the Franklin Wildcats, lettering for three years.

 

AI Overview

Luke Kennard described playing for the Los Angeles Lakers as a "special moment" on the "biggest stage in basketball," emphasizing the pride he takes in wearing the uniform. Following his move, he expressed immense gratitude, noting his "eyes lit up" at the opportunity, and he has embraced the high expectations and pressure.
Key, recent comments from Kennard regarding his time with the Lakers include:

• Pride and Significance: "I've loved it. Playing for the Lakers, it's the highest level. Wearing that across your chest, you take pride in that".
• A "Special" Opportunity: "When I heard Lakers, my eyes lit up. Great opportunity, just exciting".
• Embracing the Stage: He noted that playing for the team is "the biggest stage in basketball," where he feels compelled to deliver with precision.
• Confidence in the Team: He expressed full belief in the roster, stating he has been impressed by how his teammates prepare, communicate, and compete.

 

Not going to lie, I used to think he was just a bad defender who you could neutralize easily on the offensive end by zoning him out and attack him offensively. Every time he got in the game, you would salivate at him getting picked on defensively.

He's a much better defender than any of us gave him credit for. And wow, he's quite athletic given his reputation. Very quick and thrifty moves out there that you wouldn't expect.

When he has the ball, he looks confident and can run the offense out there for stretches of the game. When he doesn't have the ball, he does an amazing job playing like Steph. Acting like a decoy, running around, over, and under screens just to set others up, and then his quick release.

What was Atlanta honestly thinking? They could have used a guy like Kennard to make a playoff run. East is wide open right now and Atlanta had the roster to make a Finals run

 

Jedi Rob clearly mind tricked them .... no other explanation.