It has been a weird few days for the Phoenix Suns. Their decision to trade for Miles Bridges has us comparing them to the Chicago Bulls (and getting raked over the coal fire in the process), but they followed that up by adding Luke Kennard.
Two-years at $6.5 per season for the 30-year-old sharpshooter representing great value and immediately providing the roster with some much needed spacing on the offensive end.
Kennard must take more 3-pointers each night to thrive in Phoenix
But if there is one area where the former Los Angeles Laker needs to improve, it is in the amount of attempts from deep he takes. Like Grayson Allen before him, Kennard actually led the entire league in 3-point shooting last season at 47.8 percent. The problem?
He took only 3.1 each night.
Contrast that with Allen, who attempted a whopping 8.9. He was also sharing the ball and court with Royce O'Neale some, and both have now departed for the Charlotte Hornets. Kennard needs to take some of the shots both of those players have vacated, although Bridges needs to be fed as well.
Free agent sharpshooter Luke Kennard has agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Phoenix Suns, with a player option for the second season, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/rXhDalEdhF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026
The reluctance of Kennard to hoist up more efforts with the Lakers can partly be attributed to the fact he was playing alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Only he began the season with the Atlanta Hawks, where his attempts held firm at 3.2 per contest.
Really what the Suns need to see is a return to that 2021-22 form in which he took six per game (third highest mark of his career to date), and again led the league at 44.9 percent while with the L.A. Clippers.
If there is one other similarity Kennard unfortunately has with Allen it is that he is a touch injury-prone. Thankfully the 78 games he appeared in across two teams last season represented a career high, and there's a real chance the Suns have bought into Kennard at the right time.
Whereas Allen seems to be unavailable at the worst possible times, and his tenure in The Valley saw him miss crucial playoff games through injury. So if he can stay healthy, take double the amount of 3-pointers he did last season and even improve marginally on the defensive end (an admittedly big ask), this is going to go down as a brilliant signing.
Kennard will surely be excited by this prospect, as it gives him the chance to ensure a future pay day down the road if he can continue his hot shooting for a fringe playoff outfit.
Add us as a preferred source on Google