The 76ers enter next season with a roster that can stack up with just about anyone, but the one soft spot still hanging around is the backup center job. Philadelphia has bodies for the role, sure, but if that spot turns into a problem during the season, Kevon Looney could become the kind of low-cost midyear fix that makes sense.
Looney is now with the Lakers after signing there this offseason following a one-year run with the Pelicans. He brings championship experience from Golden State, where he won titles in 2017, 2018, and 2022, but he is not currently projected to be a major part of Los Angeles’ rotation. With that setup, a trade before the deadline looks possible.
The Lakers already reshaped their center group by making a major trade for Walker Kessler and adding Sandro Mamukelashvili in free agency, which leaves Looney sitting as their third-string big. In practical terms, that means limited minutes and, by extension, a price tag that should stay manageable if another team comes calling.
That is where Philadelphia fits in. The Sixers have options behind Joel Embiid, but after losing Andre Drummond, they no longer have a proven second-unit anchor. Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona, Ariel Hukporti, and Jabari Walker are all in the mix, yet none of them comes with the same level of certainty for big moments.
Looney does come with a concern of his own: he is coming off an injury-plagued season. Even so, his Pelicans year appears more like the exception than the rule when it comes to availability, since he had barely missed games before that.
What he does bring is pretty clear. He is not there to score, but he does the gritty stuff that keeps lineups steady - offensive rebounds, solid screens, and the kind of passing that helps teammates get clean looks. For a team looking for a dependable body to spell Embiid without needing the offense run through him, that profile can play.
If Philadelphia still feels the need to reinforce its center rotation later in the year, Looney could wind up as a quiet but useful name to watch.
In Other News...
76ers New Arena Plan Puts Pressure On Their Future In Philly
The 76ers have put a new long-term marker on their future in Philadelphia, unveiling an arena plan that is set to open in 2030 at the former Spectrum site in South Philadelphia. The building is being pitched as more than just a new home court for the Sixers, with the project also designed to house a future WNBA expansion team and the Flyers, all under a joint venture between Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment and Comcast Spectacor.
For the Sixers, the move is as much about the market as the building itself. A shared arena setup could make scheduling easier and, in theory, help create a stronger home-court edge, while also tying the franchise even more tightly to a part of the city with deep sports history. What remains unresolved is how this plan reshapes the teams place in Philadelphia over the coming years, and how much pressure that puts on the organization to make the next chapter count. [Read more 🡒]
Former Sixers Exec Is Suddenly Rising Fast Away From Daryl Morey
Peter Dinwiddies stay in Atlanta was brief, but it was enough to turn into a quick ascent. After one season with the Hawks, the former 76ers Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations has been promoted again, this time taking on the same top basketball-operations title in Atlanta that he once held in Philadelphia.
The move adds another layer to a front office that is clearly in motion, with Maxwell Kupchak also moving up to Director of Cap Strategy and Player Personnel and Tim Bontemps joining as Front Office Strategic Advisor. For the Sixers, it is another reminder of how many familiar names from Daryl Moreys orbit continue to spread around the league, with Dinwiddie having worked under Morey in both Philadelphia and Indiana before landing in Atlanta. [Read more 🡒]
Draymond Green Just Added To Joel Embiids Pressure This Season
Joel Embiid is heading into another season with the spotlight firmly on him, and this time the noise is coming from an unlikely place. Draymond Green recently said he does not view Embiid as one of the NBAs top three big men, putting Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama and Karl-Anthony Towns ahead of the 76ers star while pointing to Embiids availability and injury history as the reason.
For Philadelphia, the critique only adds to a familiar theme: talent has never been the question, but staying on the floor has been. Embiid has missed significant time in recent seasons and still has not reached the Eastern Conference Finals, which means every new roster addition around him comes with the same larger expectation - when he is healthy, he has to make the case again and again that he belongs in the very top tier. [Read more 🡒]