ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks remained busy before the NBA trade deadline Thursday by acquiring point guard Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for shooting guard Luke Kennard.
Vincent provides depth and steady point guard play for the Hawks, whose busy trade season began with the deal which sent All-Star point guard Trae Young to Washington for a package including guards CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker on Jan. 7. Vincent has been dogged by injuries while playing in just 29 games this season, averaging 4.8 points and struggling with his outside shot in his third season with the Lakers.
The 29-year-old Kennard was the Lakers' only deadline acquisition, but he addresses their biggest offensive need. He has averaged 7.9 points in 46 games for Atlanta, but he leads the NBA with 49.7% shooting on 3-point attempts.
Los Angeles is hitting only 34.8% of its shots from behind the arc this season, ranking 22nd in the league and hindering an offense that needs floor-spacing, defense-stretching options to play alongside Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
Kennard will wear No. 10 when he becomes the 70th player in league history to suit up for both the Lakers and the crosstown Los Angeles Clippers. He was a role player on the Clippers' 2021 Western Conference finals team during 2½ seasons with the franchise.
On Wednesday, the Hawks acquired center Jock Landale from the Utah Jazz for cash considerations and traded center Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State in exchange for forward Jonathan Kuminga and guard Buddy Hield.
Also Thursday, Atlanta requested waivers on injured center Duop Reath and center N'Faly Dante. Dante is out for the season with a knee injury. The Hawks acquired Reath on Sunday in a trade that sent forward Vit Krejci to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Hawks also obtained second-round draft picks in 2027 and 2030 in the deal.
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Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'andre Hunter (12) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Atlanta Hawks guard Luke Kennard (4) shoots against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.
Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.
Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.
Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.
Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.
Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."
Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.
Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."
Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”
Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.
Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
