The Los Angeles Lakers found the veteran center they had been searching for.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, free agent Kevon Looney has agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million contract with Los Angeles, giving the Lakers another proven interior presence after an offseason spent reshaping the roster around Luka Dončić.
Charania reported Tuesday that Looney’s deal was confirmed by Life Sports Agency CEO Todd Ramasar.
The signing caps weeks of searching for a backup center after Los Angeles traded Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards and pursued several veterans on the free-agent market.
Lakers Fill Their Biggest Remaining Need
The Lakers entered free agency intent on becoming younger, more athletic and better equipped to maximize Dončić’s strengths.
Lakers president Rob Pelinka acquired Walker Kessler to anchor the defense, added Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton to bolster the backcourt, signed Sandro Mamukelashvili to deepen the frontcourt and later acquired Jaden Hardy in the Ayton trade.
Even after those moves, one need remained unresolved.
An experienced backup center.
Before agreeing to terms with Looney, Los Angeles had explored veteran options, including Andre Drummond and Jonas Valančiūnas. Drummond ultimately signed with the defending champion New York Knicks, while Looney emerged as the Lakers’ preferred alternative.
The pursuit proved successful.
Looney Brings Championship Experience to Lakers
Getty Former Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney brings his championship experience to a young Lakers team.
Looney arrives with one of the league’s most accomplished résumés among veteran role players.
The 30-year-old spent his first 10 NBA seasons with the Golden State Warriors, winning three championships while developing a reputation as one of basketball’s most reliable screen setters, offensive rebounders and positional defenders.
He joined the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2025-26 season, appearing in 21 games, including eight starts, and averaging 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.7 minutes.
Those numbers only tell part of the story.
Looney has long been valued for the subtleties that don’t always appear in the box score—creating extra possessions through offensive rebounding, freeing teammates with physical screens and defending multiple frontcourt matchups without requiring touches on offense.
That profile makes him a natural fit alongside a playmaker like Dončić, whose pick-and-roll game has consistently elevated centers willing to screen, rebound and finish around the basket.
Strong Complement to Walker Kessler
Unlike previous Lakers teams that depended heavily on one center, Los Angeles now boasts a complementary pairing.
Kessler projects as the franchise’s long-term starter and primary rim protector.
Looney gives coach JJ Redick a battle-tested reserve capable of anchoring the second unit, matching up against physical opposing centers and providing playoff insurance over an 82-game season.
His arrival also reduces the workload on Kessler while giving the Lakers another dependable rebounder and interior defender.
Lakers May Not Be Finished
The addition of Looney represents another step in one of the NBA’s busiest offseasons.
The Lakers have already overhauled much of their supporting cast around Dončić, and ESPN recently reported they continue pursuing free-agent forward Jonathan Kuminga despite significant salary-cap challenges.
Whether another major move materializes remains uncertain.
What is clear is that Pelinka has now addressed one of the final roster questions entering training camp.
With Kessler protecting the rim and Looney bringing championship experience off the bench, the Lakers suddenly have the size, depth and stability in the frontcourt they lacked only weeks ago as they continue building a roster capable of contending in the Western Conference.
Lakers Sign 3-Time NBA Champion Center as Walker Kessler Backup