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The Los Angeles Lakers' roster for the 2026-27 season has taken shape in a short amount of time. During a span of under an hour on Wednesday morning, they added Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili while losing LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes in free agency.
Kessler's arrival made Deandre Ayton, the Lakers' starting center this past season, the odd man out. Thus, Ayton is getting shipped to the Washington Wizards for guard Jaden Hardy and two future second-round draft picks.
While Mamukelashvili can play the 5 spot, Los Angeles could use a true backup center, as Mamukelashvili is a hybrid 4/5. Dave McMenamin of ESPN wrote that Kevon Looney is a backup 5 L.A. is looking into.
Drummond, who once played for the Lakers during the 2020-21 season, is reportedly headed to the NBA champion New York Knicks, who lost backup center Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics. Valanciunas is a big body who can rebound and score, but he's reportedly eyeing a stint in Europe, according to BasketNews.
That leaves Looney as perhaps the best choice for the Lakers in terms of a backup 5 who is a pure center and not a power forward who will be masquerading as a center.
Looney, 30, is undersized at 6-foot-9 and 222 pounds, but he has a history of pounding the glass hard. He has a career average of 5.7 rebounds in 17.1 minutes a game, and he's also a capable defender, although he isn't a shot-blocker or rim protector.
He spent his first 10 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, where he won three championships. When the Warriors won their most recent ring during the 2021-22 season, Looney was their starting center for 80 regular-season games and in 13 of his 22 postseason games.
This past season, he registered 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.7 minutes a game with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is currently an unrestricted free agent.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers considering Kevon Looney for backup center role
Continue reading...
Kessler's arrival made Deandre Ayton, the Lakers' starting center this past season, the odd man out. Thus, Ayton is getting shipped to the Washington Wizards for guard Jaden Hardy and two future second-round draft picks.
While Mamukelashvili can play the 5 spot, Los Angeles could use a true backup center, as Mamukelashvili is a hybrid 4/5. Dave McMenamin of ESPN wrote that Kevon Looney is a backup 5 L.A. is looking into.
Drummond, who once played for the Lakers during the 2020-21 season, is reportedly headed to the NBA champion New York Knicks, who lost backup center Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics. Valanciunas is a big body who can rebound and score, but he's reportedly eyeing a stint in Europe, according to BasketNews.
That leaves Looney as perhaps the best choice for the Lakers in terms of a backup 5 who is a pure center and not a power forward who will be masquerading as a center.
Looney, 30, is undersized at 6-foot-9 and 222 pounds, but he has a history of pounding the glass hard. He has a career average of 5.7 rebounds in 17.1 minutes a game, and he's also a capable defender, although he isn't a shot-blocker or rim protector.
He spent his first 10 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, where he won three championships. When the Warriors won their most recent ring during the 2021-22 season, Looney was their starting center for 80 regular-season games and in 13 of his 22 postseason games.
This past season, he registered 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.7 minutes a game with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is currently an unrestricted free agent.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers considering Kevon Looney for backup center role
Continue reading...
