Lakers, Kevon Looney Agree to NBA Free Agent Contract After Ayton Trade, Updated Roster, Salary Cap

The Los Angeles Lakers signed veteran center Kevon Looney in free agency on Tuesday, Life Sports Agency CEO Todd Ramasar told ESPN's Shams Charania.

Looney agreed to a one-year contract worth $3.9 million with Los Angeles.

The Lakers' interest in him was clear prior to the signing, as Charania previously reported that Looney was among the options they were considering at backup center.

Los Angeles also traded big man Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards on Friday, opening up a depth spot for Looney to presumably fill.

Here's a look at the Lakers' updated roster:

PG: Luka Dončić, Collin Sexton, Jaden Hardy, Bronny James

SG: Austin Reaves, Cameron Carr, Dalton Knecht

SF: Quentin Grimes, Jake LaRavia, Adou Thiero

PF: Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jarred Vanderbilt

C: Walker Kessler, Kevon Looney

The Lakers had $240.7 million in total cap allocations prior to adding Looney (via Spotrac).

The 30-year-old became a free agent after the New Orleans Pelicans declined his $8 million team option for the 2026-27 season.

Looney only appeared in 21 games during his lone year with the Pelicans, as they primarily utilized younger options such as Derik Queen and Yves Missi in their center rotation.

In 14.7 minutes per game, Looney averaged 2.8 points and 5.6 rebounds on a nightly basis while shooting 41.7 percent from the field.

The Lakers will be hoping that he can make an impact similar to his 10-year stint on the Golden State Warriors, as he won three championships and played a key rotational role on squads that made several deep playoff runs.

During Looney's 2024-25 campaign, his final season with Golden State, he averaged 4.5 points and 6.1 rebounds to go along with 1.6 assists per game. He connected on 51.4 percent of his field goals.

Looney has been effective at crashing the glass throughout his career, pulling down 13.4 rebounds per 36 minutes over the past five years combined.

He also made his presence felt with his screen-setting ability despite his limited role on the Pelicans last season. Looney averaged 5.1 screen assists per 36 minutes, ranking No. 7 among all players to appear in at least 20 games (via NBA.com).

With Ayton getting dealt to the Wizards earlier this offseason, Looney will now operate in a reserve role behind Walker Kessler on the Lakers.