The Philadelphia 76ers have not made any moves since trading Jared McCain, which is a bit of a bummer. Of course, things could still change between now and the trade deadline (which is literally only hours away), but so far, the front office has done nothing but miss out on trade candidates who would have fit them like a glove.
One name who fits that bill is Luke Kennard, who has just been traded by the Hawks to the Lakers. Atlanta was looking to save some more money, so parting with the sharpshooter made sense. However, Los Angeles certainly won big by getting Kennard even if for only half a season. After all, they are one of the worst three-point shootings in the league.
Relatable, right? Well, the 76ers are similar to the Lakers in that three-point shooting is not exactly what they are known for or good at. As such, they could have really used someone like Kennard, who has long been one of the best pure shooters in the entire league.
76ers caught sleeping as they miss out on Luke Kennard trade
The 76ers are in the bottom half of the league in all three-point shootings metrics from attempts, makes, and success rate. Their offense is stuck in the middle of the pack, and their lack of consistency from beyond the arc is a major suspect for their up-and-down play.
Kennard, who is leading the league so far this season with a 49.7 percent conversion rate from rainbow country, would have given the 76ers a colossal lift in that area. Even better is the fact that his contract expires after this campaign, so there is no debilitating commitment attendant to pursuing him.
Instead, Kennard is now slated to showcase his pinpoint perimeter shooting in the brights of Hollywood with Luka Doncic and LeBron James now being his running mates.
The Lakers also gave up nothing but chump change to get the 29-year-old, only parting with Gabe Vincent (who has become unplayable) and a future second-round pick. Turns out, he was that easily available for taking.
For now, the 76ers brain trust will have to remain on the lookout for some value players that could end up becoming available in a short while. Hopefully, the front office manages to find a solution to abate this team’s mercurial shooting in the perimeter, lest they could become much easiet to game-plan against come playoff time.