Luke Kennard, Hawks Reportedly Agree to $11M Contract After NAW, Porzingis Deals
Free agent shooting guard Luke Kennard has reportedly agreed to a one-year, $11 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks, per Shams Charania of ESPN.
Per Charania, Hawks star Trae Young helped recruit Kennard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who also agreed to a contract with Atlanta on Monday.
The 28-year-old Kennard has played eight NBA seasons for the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers and Grizzlies. Detroit selected the ex-Duke star with the 12th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
The 6'5", 206-pound guard primarily come off the bench during his career, with his strongest asset being three-point shooting. Kennard led the NBA in three-point shooting in 2021-22 (44.8 percent) and 2022-23 (49.4 percent).
Last year, the ex-Duke star signed a one-year, $11 million deal to stay with Memphis, which acquired him in a three-team trade from the Los Angeles Clippers in Feb. 2023.
Kennard scored 8.9 points on 47.8 percent shooting (43.3 percent from three) while adding 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game during the 2024-25 season.
Kennard's value as a reserve with a great three-point shot is clearly evident, and now he'll take his talents to Atlanta, which should benefit having a player that's made at least 43 percent of more of his threes each season since 2020-21.
The additions of Kennard, Alexander-Walker and Kristaps Porzingis—who was acquired in a trade with the Boston Celtics this week—should create a lot of firepower and spacing around Young as the team tries to compete in the Eastern Conference.
