The Los Angeles Lakers announced they have signed center Kevon Looney to a one-year contract that is reported to be worth $3.9 million. It will go on the books as a veteran minimum deal for the Lakers.
An 11-year veteran, Looney spent last season with the New Orleans Pelicans after spending the first 10 years of his career as a member of the Golden State Warriors.
Looney was an extremely important role player for the Warriors throughout his time there, winning three NBA Championships in 2017, 2018 and 2022. He operated as both a starter and reserve and made an impact primarily as a defender and rebounder.
In particular, Looney does great work on the offensive glass, averaging 2.1 offensive rebounds for his career despite never averaging more than 24 minutes in a single season. Last year with the Pelicans, Looney appeared in only 21 games, averaging only 14.7 minutes, but still managed to pull down 2.3 offensive rebounds per game.
Looney is the latest piece in a completely new big man rotation for the Lakers along with Walker Kessler and Sandro Mamukelashvili. The Lakers acquired Kessler via sign-and-trade and he will operate as their starting center while Mamukelashvili will split time as both a power forward and center and could start or come off the bench.
Looney will operate as a reserve for the Lakers, bringing a physical presence who can match up with some of the bigger centers in the league and also someone who can be trusted to step up in bigger roles when needed. He also won’t be afraid of the bright lights and pressure that comes with being on the Lakers, having appeared in 89 playoff games in his career.
Depth is extremely important in this age of NBA basketball and adding Looney gives the Lakers a veteran who has seen everything there is to see at this level. For his career, Looney has averaged 4.9 points and 5.7 rebounds on 57% shooting from the field. He has appeared in 620 games in his career with 270 starts.
Looney will wear No. 55 in the Purple and Gold.
Lakers lost both Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes
The reason the Lakers had a need for a backup center was because they lost both Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes this offseason. They traded Ayton to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks in a deal that gave them more cap flexibility and draft assets as they look to round out their roster.
L.A. also let go of Hayes in free agency as he is signing with the Utah Jazz, helping fill the void left by the departure of Kessler.
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