The Lakers didn’t need much time to learn what the Warriors already figured out with Kevon Looney.
Los Angeles brought in the veteran center on a minimum deal this offseason to back up the middle, but less than a week into the season, the fit already looks shaky. Through the early going, Looney is averaging 7.3 minutes per game for the Lakers with 2.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 fouls. In Tuesday’s loss to the Trail Blazers, he logged only five minutes, picked up two fouls and finished with zero points, zero rebounds and a minus-8.
Even in tiny bursts, the picture has been rough enough to notice. The Lakers did try to shore up their frontcourt depth before settling on their roster, and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that they discussed a Dalton Knecht-for-Jericho Sims trade with the Bucks. For now, though, Looney is on the roster, and the Lakers are left hoping his role stays extremely limited.
That’s because there isn’t much upside in asking him to do more. Looney, 30, brings championship experience and a steady veteran presence, but he doesn’t have the speed or athleticism to hold up in regular minutes for a team with bigger ambitions. That’s a problem for a Los Angeles defense that’s already having trouble getting stops.
The Lakers aren’t the only team dealing with a center issue, either. Golden State is without Kristaps Porziņġis, its starting center, and he may not return. So while the Warriors are sorting through that mess, Looney’s early struggles in Los Angeles serve as a reminder of why Golden State was willing to move on, even if letting him go wasn’t easy.
His market, too, told part of the story. Looney played only 21 games for the Pelicans last season, and New Orleans declined his $8 million option over the offseason. That opened the door for him to land with the Lakers, but the move never looked like a clean solution for a team trying to contend.
If anything, the issue may have been the expectation placed on him from the start. He doesn’t look like a reliable stopgap center, and even that might be too generous. He feels more like the kind of reserve a coach calls on in a pinch when injuries force the issue.
The Lakers would love for that not to be a problem. But with JJ Redick already using him sparingly, there’s not much reason to think the role is going to grow anytime soon.
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From the Warriors perspective, the appeal is obvious: Gafford would give them a more traditional option at a spot where they have been searching for answers. The twist is that the discussion is not just about fit, but about whether the money works cleanly for both sides and how much the Mavericks would value Moody, whose injury status and playing profile are part of the larger calculation. Nothing is finalized, of course, but this is the sort of deal framework that can linger because it forces both front offices to decide how much certainty they want now versus what they might prefer later. [Read more 🡒]