Grading Phoenix Suns' Signing of Former Lakers Guard Luke Kennard

The Phoenix Suns have been one of the most pertinently active teams over the last week in anticipation for the opening of NBA free agency on Tuesday afternoon - this was further confirmed when the franchise agreed on terms of a two-year deal with shooting guard Luke Kennard just hours after the negotiating period opened. 

Kennard, 30, rounds out the Suns' 15-man roster for the time being after spending half of a season with the Los Angeles Lakers, now joining the Suns to fill the void that Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale are set to leave behind.

 The signing of Kennard will be analyzed and ultimately graded directly below.

Kennard's Fit With Suns

For starters, this is a low-risk, high reward signing for the Suns. Kennard's player option allows for him to opt out in the event that he has an exceptional season, with Phoenix having an inside track of reworking a deal in that event. There's almost no downside to utilizing the $6.1 million exception that was at their disposal in this instance. 

As far as on-court fits go, there aren't many that would be better for a "specialist" - at least on-paper.

Kennard's three-point shooting volume is relatively tame for a sniper of his caliber, but the efficiency is off the charts. It can be presumed that he will be encouraged to be more aggressive (in a similar manner Allen was), with Devin Booker, Collin Gillespie, and others creating chances for the Duke alum to earn clean looks on the perimeter. 

There isn't much to write home about Kennard defensively, but head coach Jordan Ott managed to get the most out of Phoenix's personnel on that end of the ball in 2025-26, and it's challenging to see a scenario in which that isn't the case once again. The presence of battle-tested defenders (Jordan Goodwin, Dillon Brooks, etc.) should make it easier to hide the phenomenally gifted offensive player in most cases.

Ultimately, there are very few downsides to this contract. While Kennard is limited as a slasher/defender, he brings several positives on offense to the table that are being left behind by Allen and O'Neale - if not all of them. The Suns coming to terms on an economical deal that proved to be in the ballpark of fellow targets in Landry Shamet and Collin Sexton also softens the blow of what could've been for Phoenix if they had looked elsewhere first.

Verdict: The signing is an A- grade heading into the season.

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Kevin Hicks is a contributing writer to SunsRoundtable. He can be reached on X @khicks_21.