LOS ANGELES — Luke Kennard drilled five 3-pointers on Sunday night as the Los Angeles Clippers crowd ooh'd and ahh'd, nearly helping his team earn a stellar road win while shorthanded. The Clippers did squeak out a victory late on Sunday night, but it came against Kennard's Memphis Grizzlies. It wasn't supposed to be this way, though.

Kennard came into the season as the vital part of the Clippers' offensive system, and was even dubbed their “secret weapon,” according to Nicolas Batum. He was beloved by his teammates, he always tried to make the right play, never pouted if he wasn't playing, and was always unselfish. Unfortunately, his unselfishness is probably what led to his eventual trade out of Los Angeles.

“I mean you always wish you can stay somewhere for like your whole career,” Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard told ClutchPoints after his first game back in Los Angeles since the trade. “That’s just how it is. I’ve built a lot of great relationships here and I definitely wish it could’ve worked, but there’s a business side to basketball where some stuff, it just doesn’t work. There might be other teams that want players and stuff, and I think the fit might be a little bit better.”

Coming off a 2021-22 season in which he led the NBA in 3-point shooting at 44.9 percent, Luke Kennard's volume took a significant dip in 2022-23. He was shooting right around the same percentage at 44.7 percent, but the fact of the matter is he was too passive when his lone job was to not pass.

During a press conference in December, head coach Tyronn Lue was asked where he would rank Luke Kennard among the best shooters in the NBA.

“How many more premier shooters you think there is in the league?” Tyronn Lue asked. “Premier, let's just say 10? I'd say he's 10th because they don't pass up shots though. The other nine guys, they're looking for that shot at all times and he turns down too many shots.

“But if you go on makes, he's at the top, he's one of the top guys as far as makes. But the other guys, they're seeking shots and they know they're supposed to shoot the basketball, they don't turn down shots. So if you go off that, Luke’s 10th, if you go off makes, he's at the top two or three.”

Now with the Memphis Grizzlies, Luke Kennard has seen an uptick in volume — 3.8 3-point attempts per game with LA to 4.3 per game with Memphis — and 3-point percentage – 44.7 percent with LA to 53.3 percent with Memphis.

“They’ve been on me ever since I got there just to be aggressive and hunt my shot as much as I can,” Kennard told ClutchPoints. “Our team does a good job of playing basketball and sharing the ball and making the right plays, so the ball is gonna make its way around [to me].”

Luke Kennard started the season off red-hot for the Clippers, shooting just under 48 percent from deep before suffering a calf injury that would sideline him for nine games. He would return to play 15 games before experiencing soreness in the same calf. Kennard would miss another nine games before returning to the crowded Clippers lineup that was continuously trying to figure out rotations.

Kennard eventually found himself out of Tyronn Lue's rotation, and by the time the trade deadline arrived, it was clear a changing of the guard(s) was somewhat necessary. The belief was that Reggie Jackson and John Wall would be the only guards on the way out, considering how valuable Kennard had been to the Clippers in the past.

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Luke Kennard, Los Angeles Clippers

As part of a four-team trade, though, the Clippers sent Luke Kennard to the Memphis Grizzlies and received Eric Gordon back.

“I don’t know if anything really went wrong,” Kennard explained. “We just dealt with injuries and stuff throughout the year, which wasn’t great. I was out for a little bit, so that didn’t help me, personally. But just kind of the in-and-out situation was tough and didn’t make anything easy.

“Overall, I don’t regret anything. I had a great few years here. They gave me my second NBA contract, so I’m grateful for everything that they helped me out with. I got married out here, so a lot big-time memories and I’ll cherish them forever, but it’s always good to start fresh and I’m excited to see what Memphis can do.”

Throughout his seven hours at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Clippers staff members, coaches, and players took time to give their former teammate a big hug and check in on him.

“I think they got a great crew over there. They—” Kennard paused as he was approached and hugged by one of the sports science members of the Clippers staff. After some catching up, he continued, “They got what it takes to be a really really special team and to make it far. I’m rooting for them. I got a lot of friends there, built great relationships, hopefully if we see them in the playoffs or whatever, it’ll be great to take them out, but like I said, they got a great crew and great coaches, so I’m always here for them.”

The tribute video that aired for Kennard during the first timeout of the game caught him off guard, but gave everyone an opportunity to embrace the return of “Cool Hand Luke.”

“It was cool! I didn’t know that that was gonna happen, but I was able to watch some of it. It’s cool. I know I had some cool memories on the court with the fans and the team, so it's great to see and it's cool to have some support when you come back to a team you played for so it felt good.”

The most memorable, of course, has to be the incredible 35-point road comeback against the Washington Wizards capped off by Luke Kennard's four-point play for the lead — and win — with 1.9 seconds remaining.

When Luke Kennard arrived in Los Angeles, he was coming off a year-long absence due to an injury and the COVID-19 shutdown. The Clippers inked him to a four-year deal before he even played a game, displaying their belief in his abilities.

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Under coach Tyronn Lue, Kennard became the league's best 3-point shooter, and he was third in 3-point shooting this season before he was traded.

“Getting married was the biggest step, obviously. But just growing up, outside of basketball and building relationships. Everything just kind of slowed down a little bit. The NBA life, it slowed down for me, just got comfortable, and it was a fun few years, it really was. I’ll cherish the moments and the relationships I had with these guys forever and it’s something that I’ll be a part of forever.”

Once the buzzer rang to officially end Sunday night's matchup between the Clippers and Grizzlies, Lue did something you don't usually see him do, darting straight onto the court in the direction of Kennard, where the two embraced.

“Luke Kennard is just a guy I loved,” Tyronn Lue said with a wide smile. “One of my favorites. Just the development from the first year to the second year being the best 3-point shooter in the league last year was huge for us. And just continued, kept developing.

“I just [gave him] a big hug because I miss him. That’s one of my favorite guys, and so just gave him a big hug, told him I missed him, and he was happy to see me as well.”

Despite being traded to the Grizzlies, it's clear the move is still somewhat fresh for Kennard. He referred to the Clippers as “here” and the Grizzlies as “there,” which is to be expected for someone who spent a good few years in Los Angeles developing a bond with the fans who yelled “LUUUUUUUUUUUKKEE!” anytime he checked into a game.

That being said, Kennard is enjoying his time with the Grizzlies and is looking forward to a deep playoff run. He does, however, have a parting message for Clippers fans who have been struggling to watch the team that was supposed to be the best in franchise history.

“Just keep rooting these guys on,” Kennard said with a smile as he watched Clippers players file out of the locker room to go home. “They put the work in. They really enjoy what they do and they want to win. It’s nothing that they don’t see, they want to fix what they’ve been going through. They got a win tonight which was big for them, but just keep trusting them and have faith in them. They’re gonna put the work in to do the best they can each and every night and make it as far as they can.”