Kevon Looney found a fresh NBA landing spot with the Lakers, but it may not take long for that lifeline to tighten again.
That was the risk attached to the move from Golden State in the first place. The Warriors let Looney walk in free agency before the 2025-26 season because they needed to get younger and chase more upside at center.
Looney had been a steady part of the organization’s identity, a trusted piece in the 2018 and 2022 championship runs and a dependable option for Steve Kerr until the end of his time in the Bay. But even if the decision made sense then, it’s already fair to wonder what comes next for him now.
His stop in New Orleans didn’t give him much room to breathe. Looney appeared in just 21 games last season with the Pelicans, stuck behind Derik Queen and Yves Missi on the depth chart.
When New Orleans declined his team option for 2026-27, another real opportunity looked far from guaranteed. The Lakers gave him one anyway, signing him to a one-year, veteran minimum deal after reworking their center rotation.
For now, Looney is part of the picture in Los Angeles. The question is whether he stays there.
He remains the kind of fringe rotational center teams can live with: a reliable rebounder, someone who knows his defensive job, and a player who usually keeps things simple when he does touch the ball. But that usefulness has limits, and even his strongest supporters would admit he’s not the sort of big man who fits every situation anymore.
That concern is already out there in Lakers circles. Svyatoslav Rovenchuk of Lake Show Life pointed to the possibility that Los Angeles could still seek an upgrade later in the season, especially if JJ Redick’s recent interest in double-big looks becomes a real part of the regular-season rotation.
"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’s preseason line at least gave the Lakers something to work with. In 15.2 minutes per game, he averaged two points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 37.5% from the field.
Still, the fit has obvious pressure points. Los Angeles is going to need steady defense and rim protection from its centers, and using Looney alongside Sandro Mamukelashvili on a regular basis would leave a major hole there.
The Lakers may not have many cleaner answers available right now, and the market at this stage is likely to be shaped by roster cuts around the league. That makes Looney safer in the short term.
But safe and secure are not the same thing. If the Lakers do find a trade avenue to improve that spot, Looney is the name that gets squeezed.
And while a mid-season buyout could someday change the equation, with the right injuries and the right timing, that remains only a possibility for now. For the moment, his new chance is intact.
The margin for error around it, though, looks awfully thin.
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