It’s been a busy week for the Los Angeles Lakers as they have been making moves that they believe will improve their roster.
The Lakers used all of their available draft capital to acquire Walker Kessler to give them their long-term center, and then recouped some by trading their former center Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards. That was expected to be the precursor for more moves as it gave the Lakers some flexibility with more draft picks while losing their projected backup center.
It appears L.A. has indeed made another move as according to Shams Charania of ESPN, they are signing big man Kevon Looney to a one-year contract:
Free agent center Kevon Looney has agreed on a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, Life Sports Agency CEO Todd Ramasar tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/fxfdg3yhSV
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 7, 2026
The Lakers acquire one of the top available backup centers, and Looney, a three-time NBA champion, provides experience and pick-and-roll play for Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves after all of those years running screens for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green… https://t.co/twwzvxFuGI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 7, 2026
When the Lakers traded Ayton, they had an immediate need for a backup center. Looney will help solve that, and this is a bit of a homecoming for the big man after playing his collegiate ball at UCLA.
Still just 30 years of age, Looney will bring some championship experience to the Lakers having won three rings with the Golden State Warriors. They originally drafted him 30th overall in 2015.
It remains to be seen what Looney has left in the tank as he played in just 21 games (eight starts) for the New Orleans Pelicans last season and averaged 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.6 minutes per game. It will be interesting to see if the Lakers bring in another backup center to compete with him, although Sandro Mamukelashvili may also get some minutes at the five in small-ball lineups.
Lakers roster will look much different in 2026-27
The Lakers’ roster is expected to look a lot different when they take the court for the upcoming season. Not only did they make this move, but they have either already lost or are expected to lose LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Jaxson Hayes, Luke Kennard and Ayton.
That amounts to six of the team’s top nine players last season, and more moves could be on the way as the offseason unfolds and the team continues to form its roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
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