It was a sad day when the Golden State Warriors moved on from Kevon Looney.
He was a legend of this organization, having played an integral role in both the 2018 and the 2022 championship runs, and he provided Steve Kerr with trustworthy minutes at center until the end of his time in Golden State. But the Warriors, prior to the 2025-26 season when they let Looney walk in free agency, simply needed to get younger and unlock more upside at the position.
There's certainly room to debate how effectively they've accomplished that—at least now that Quinten Post is gone and Kristaps Porzingis' health is in question again—but it seemed like the right move at the time to allow Looney to find his next opportunity. Since his departure, though, things haven't quite gone swimmingly for the former Warrior.
He played just 21 games last season with the New Orleans Pelicans, working behind Derik Queen and Yves Missi at the team's center position. When New Orleans declined his team option for 2026-27, it seemed as though he might be hard-pressed to find another true opportunity. But the Los Angeles Lakers' decision to re-work their center rotation from the ground up yielded one—Looney signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal with Los Angeles to fill in behind Walker Kessler and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
But depending on how heavily Los Angeles wants to lean into their center rotation—perhaps even working in some double-big lineups over the course of the season—a move could very well be in order to replace Looney, effectively leaving the veteran with very few options to continue his career.
Kevon Looney has an opportunity with the Lakers for now—but how long will it last?
Looney, for the most part, is still everything a team could ask for in a fringe rotational center. He rebounds consistently, knows his defensive assignments, and doesn't truly make mistakes on the few occasions he's asked to have the ball in his hands. But even the biggest Looney fans would acknowledge that he simply isn't an effective NBA player in every situation at this point in his career.
Svyatoslav Rovenchuk, writing for Lake Show Life, argued that an upgrade could easily be in order at some point this season, especially if JJ Redick's recent penchant for double-big lineups becomes a real tool during the regular season.
"Even in a short dose during the first half, Looney was one of the shakiest parts of the Lakers rotation during the more meaningful stretches of this basketball game... With the Lakers' wing depth coming in better than what was advertised during the offseason, the more immediate focus of what area the team needs to upgrade has firmly shifted to that backup center spot. There are worse options out there than Looney. Even so, that does not dismiss how much a new body in the frontcourt could help." Svyatoslav Rovenchuk, Lake Show Life
Looney wasn't bad in the preseason, and there's likely not many options out there for Los Angeles to replace him right now. On a diet of 15.2 minutes per game, Looney averaged two points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 37.5% from the field across the Lakers' preseason slate.
But this Lakers team, no matter how solid its wing defenders are, is going to need consistent defense and rim protection from its centers. Pairing a player like Looney with Mamukelashvili consistently in the rotation leaves Los Angeles with a major deficit in that regard.
Looney is likely safe for now, though. Any center that becomes available at this point will be a victim of roster cuts across the league, and there likely won't be any options that can solve the issue that Looney presents for the Lakers. But if there's one spot Los Angeles can look to upgrade via trade, it's unfortunately Looney's.
Perhaps a mid-season buyout (and the right mix of injuries) could lead Looney back to Golden State for one final hurrah? It's too early to truly speculate on that front, but it is clear that the veteran's lifeline with his new team, unfortunately, may already be running thin.
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