LeBron James’ exit was the first domino for the Los Angeles Lakers to capitalize on their cap space. Building a roster around Luka Doncic has proved difficult, as they are already competing to retain key pieces such as Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura. However, Rob Pelinka and co. have lost the race as Pacific Division rivals have snapped up their three-point sniper.

“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,” Shams Charania reported. “Kennard’s agents, Aaron Mintz and Dave Spahn of CAA Sports, committed to the new deal with Phoenix moments ago. So far this offseason, the Suns have retained their own top free agents in Collin Gillespie, Mark Williams and Jordan Goodwin, acquired Miles Bridges, and now land Kennard among multiple suitors.”

Acquired from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline for Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick, Kennard quietly became the right fit alongside the Big 3 of LeBron, Luka and Austin Reaves, only for the Lakers to fail to retain him in free agency.

The 30-year-old was on an expiring $11 million contract last season and led the league in 3-point percentage, shooting 47.8% from the outside, a figure that also speaks to a career-long excellence: his mark of .4421 from deep ranks first among all active players in NBA history. He connected on roughly 1.3 threes per game across 78 regular-season appearances, and that combination of volume and historic efficiency made him one of the most valuable catch-and-shoot weapons in the league.

In fact, the former Lakers star was even an efficient ball handler during the time when the franchise lost Luka Doncic and AR to long-term injuries. So, the Suns took advantage of their desperate need for 3-point shooting alongside All-Star guard Devin Booker.

This new-look Suns team, which recently traded Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale for Miles Bridges, will provide Kennard with plenty of opportunities to score as a catch-and-shoot option.

Several hours before the deal was confirmed, Dallas Hoops Journal reported that the Suns were targeting Kennard in free agency. With roughly $50 million in cap space at their disposal, the Lakers had every means to retain him, but Kennard was gone before they acted.

Pelinka and the front office had already made their decision not to retain Kennard, and while Pelinka has stated the roster will be “retrofitted around Luka,” losing the league’s most efficient 3-point shooter, exactly the kind of weapon Doncic needs around him, is a strange way to start building that vision. The fans are unhappy regardless.

Pressure builds on Rob Pelinka

This is not the first time Pelinka has let a proven piece walk without a fight. In 2021, he allowed Alex Caruso, an elite perimeter defender and culture cornerstone, to sign with Chicago for less than the full mid-level exception, a decision that drew widespread criticism and one the franchise never fully recovered from on the defensive end.

Letting Kennard go for $13 million feels like that same pattern – a below-market cost, a proven contributor and a front office that chose to look elsewhere.

That’s why the fans are fuming, as one commented, “FOR $13M WHATS THE POINT OF HAVING CAP SPACE IF WE DONT F—– USE IT?!”

Another one echoed a similar sentiment. “THE LAKERS COULDNT AFFORD THIS?!”

The Lakers Nation will fondly remember his Game 1 and Game 2 performances in the first round against the Houston Rockets. It was without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, where Kennard scored 50 combined points on 8-of-11 shooting from 3-point range.

His departure, confirmed just hours after LeBron James chose to leave the franchise, signals something broader than a single roster decision. LA could be in the middle of a full dismantling, and the exits are arriving faster than the replacements.

Fans were quickly connecting the dots between the two moves, putting Rob Pelinka under fire. “Left as soon as he seen demon bron wasn’t gon be there,” wrote one fan.

Another commented with frustration, “Rob Pelinka can’t do sh– right. I’m so happy that as a LeBron fan I don’t have to deal with his ineptitude any longer.”

With Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura also possibly headed out, a significant roster overhaul is underway.

Pelinka has publicly stated the goal is to build around Doncic and Austin Reaves, targeting an elite center and floor spacers, but the framework remains unfinished while rivals are already filling their rosters with pieces the Lakers passed on.

“Lakers letting the whole team walk in UFA,” one fan wrote.

It remains to be seen how Pelinka follows it up, but with the window to build around Doncic narrowing every summer, the margin for passive decisions is gone.