Luke Kennard is the latest addition to the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster. The Lakers made a deadline-day decision to trade Gabe Vincent to the Atlanta Hawks.
This is a significant acquisition for the Lakers, considering that Kennard is the NBA’s leader in three-point percentage. However, a former three-time NBA All-Star admitted he was not enthusiastic about Kennard’s arrival and later issued a public apology.
Gilbert Arenas Takes Back What He Said About Luke Kennard
Over the past few seasons, Gilbert Arenas has been highly critical of the Lakers, largely because he wants to see them succeed.
When Los Angeles traded Vincent for Kennard on deadline day, Arenas was not immediately pleased. He had expected a more prominent acquisition and believed the Lakers could secure a stronger deal before the deadline.
The retired three-time All-Star later recognized Kennard’s value as a player. He admitted he had judged too quickly and acknowledged that the Lakers are in a stronger position with the league’s leader in three-point percentage this season. Arenas then issued an apology to Kennard.
“I’ll take Luke Kennard,” Arenas said. “I’m sorry, Luke Kennard is an All-Star compared to what we had before. Like, I’m sorry, I’m just going to be honest with you. Like, I was thinking we were about to get some real stuff. So my mind was here. I was here with it, filet right here, wagyu, they brought me some free range chicken, I wasn’t in chicken, so I threw it out. Now I’m hungry, the chicken good, the chicken real good.”
Gilbert Arenas apologized to Luke Kennard for saying he didn’t want him on the Lakers
“I’ll take Luke Kennard. I’m sorry, Luke Kennard is an All-Star compared to what we had before. Like I’m sorry, I’m just going to be honest with you. Like I was thinking we was about to get… pic.twitter.com/qXiD2lxLaf
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 11, 2026
As of this writing, Kennard continues to lead the league in 3-point percentage, shooting 49.4% from beyond the arc. In three games with the Lakers, he has averaged 10.3 points on 44.4% shooting from deep.
Although the Lakers are currently on a two-game losing streak, this has been primarily due to the absence of key players such as LeBron James and Luka Dončić. With James and Dončić now having a reliable perimeter shooter to complement their playmaking, the floor opens up for the two facilitators, providing them with more options to secure victories.
