Lakers are signing veteran center Kevon Looney
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers entered this offseason with multiple roster holes, and additional holes were created when LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes left last week. On Tuesday, they filled another roster need.
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They had agreed to trade for Walker Kessler, the defensive-minded center they had been seeking for the last couple of years, but they lacked a true backup center behind him. Now, Kevon Looney is reportedly joining the Lakers as a free agent to fill that backup 5 role, per Anthony Slater of ESPN.
"While the Los Angeles Lakers continue to actively pursue unrestricted free agent wing Jonathan Kuminga, league sources told ESPN on Tuesday, they've agreed to a one-year deal with veteran center Kevon Looney, who was Kuminga's teammate while with the Golden State Warriors.
"The deal is worth $3.9 million, Life Sports Agency CEO Todd Ramasar told ESPN's Shams Charania. Looney projects to slot in at backup center after L.A. traded big man Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards last week. Looney spent 10 seasons with the Warriors, winning three championships. He played last season with the New Orleans Pelicans."
Looney, who is 6-foot-9 and roughly 220 pounds, has historically been a good rebounder, and he has a career average of 5.7 rebounds in 17.1 minutes a game. This past season, he averaged 2.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 14.7 minutes a game with the Pelicans, although he only appeared in 21 games.
At age 30, he isn't exactly old, but he will be the eldest member of a Lakers roster that has gotten significantly younger this summer. When Looney won his most recent NBA championship with the Warriors, he started in 80 regular-season games and 13 of his 22 playoff contests.
He has also historically been a good defender, not only against centers but also against forwards. He isn't an offensive threat, however, and his 3-point shooting is nonexistent.
But Looney should, at the very least, be a solid veteran presence for this new-look Lakers team this coming season.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers are signing veteran center Kevon Looney