{"id":258548,"date":"2026-02-05T16:50:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T00:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakersnation.com\/?p=258548"},"modified":"2026-02-05T16:51:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T00:51:41","slug":"lakers-rumors-focus-shifts-to-buyout-market-after-only-making-one-deadline-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakersnation.com\/lakers-rumors-focus-shifts-to-buyout-market-after-only-making-one-deadline-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Rumors: Focus Shifts To Buyout Market After Only Making One Deadline Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

This has been a busy NBA trade deadline across the league, and the Los Angeles Lakers finally got in the mix early Thursday morning by reportedly trading Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for sharpshooter Luke Kennard<\/a>. The pick in 2032 was the only second-round pick the Lakers had at their disposal leading up to the deadline.<\/p>\n

While Kennard doesn’t fix all of the Lakers’ problems, he adds some much-needed outside shooting to a roster that lacked it.<\/p>\n

Unloading Vincent’s expiring contract for someone like Kennard is a small move, but a step in the right direction for Rob Pelinka and the Lakers on the day of the deadline.<\/p>\n

After that trade, it was interesting to see what the Lakers would do next, if anything at all. And according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN<\/a>, L.A. only made the one trade and will now shift its focus to the buyout market:<\/p>\n

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The Vincent-Kennard swap is the lone transaction the Lakers completed before the deadline, sources said. Now L.A. is focused on evaluating its two-way spots and monitoring the buy-out market. The Lakers have one open roster spot, but could create another one by waiving a player.<\/p>\n

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 5, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n