Spurs will regret missing out on promising three-point specialist

With the intentions of letting things ride in San Antonio, the Spurs are not expected to make any significant moves at the trade deadline. As they watched several other teams upgrade, General Manager Brian Wright stayed confident in his men. However, they may have benefited from making one move in particular.

According to Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks. This should have been the Spurs. San Antonio will definitely be kicking themselves for not addressing their lack of three-point shooting and for missing the opportunity to acquire the sniper at such an extremely low cost.

The Spurs should have traded for Luke Kennard

Luke Kennard has made a name for himself in the NBA for his three-point stroke alone. The 9th-year man has been slinging it for almost a decade, amounting to an unreal 44.2% from beyond the arc. The numbers in the 2025-26 season get even more ridiculous as he is hitting nearly 50% of his three-point tries.

It has been abundantly clear that the Spurs need more three-point shooting. The team is making only 34.6% of their threes this season. During their far-too-often scoring droughts, San Antonio has desperately needed a player who can catch fire and get them out of the mud. Luke Kennard can do precisely that.

The sharpshooter would have perfectly fit alongside Dylan Harper in the bench units' backcourt. As the Spurs are dominant around the rim and create a bevy of open perimeter looks, the sniper would have no problem finding his jump shot. He and the rookie could have built a seamless connection that would unlock the San Antonio bench.

Luke Kennard could have easily been acquired

Now that it's clear that Luke Kennard would have been a perfect Spur, it makes it all the more frustrating that he wasn't acquired, given how little it took the Lakers to bring him in. Los Angeles parted ways with Gabe Vincent, a forgotten bench piece, and a single second-round draft pick. So, ultimately, it was nothing.

We at Air Alamo have been searching for a suitable landing spot for Kelly Olynyk for the past several weeks. The big man is out of the Spurs' rotation and was the most obvious trade candidate. Heck, he could have gotten playing time in the ATL. For the price of a player who doesn't play and a meaningless second-round pick, San Antonio could have brought in someone who could make a real impact.

While the miss won't hurt too badly in the long-term, it could definitely come back to bite this year. If and when the Spurs find themselves bricking everything in the postseason, I will think about whether they could have brought in a sniper to ease the pain. Now, Kennard will be playing for the rival Lakers, who San Antonio may meet in a playoff series.