Jan 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) defends against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Lakers are riding a gigantic wave of momentum in the midst of 2025 All-Star Weekend festivities, as the franchise has won 10 out of their last 12 contests and are still implementing ex-Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić into the fold after he was acquired via trade on Feb. 1.
Sitting at 32-20 and maintaining the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, Los Angeles looks to be rolling despite plenty of question marks regarding their center rotation.
Following the franchise’s rescinded trade that would have brought in Charlotte Hornets’ center Mark Williams, Los Angeles desperately signed 12-year veteran center Alex Len in the buyout market. Unfortunately, Len likely won’t serve as a long-term solution past this season.
With the Lakers’ need for a solid big extending into the 2025 offseason, their general manager Rob Pelinka could be aggressive in his pursuit of an exceptional rebounder with championship D.N.A. from the Golden State Warriors, Kevon Looney.
At 29 years old and entering unrestricted free agency this summer, Looney will surely draw interest from plenty of suitors, but Los Angeles could likely be the most willing to bring him along prior to the 2025-26 campaign.
The former No. 30 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft to Golden State, Looney has become an integral piece of three title-winning Warriors teams over the past 10 seasons. His impact on the team’s most recent championship victory in 2022 was undeniable, as he averaged 5.8 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 63.8% from the field in the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
In just 16.1 minutes this season, Looney has contributed 5.0 points and 6.9 rebounds for a Golden State team trying desperately to claw their way back into the postseason picture.
Los Angeles’ potential signing of the 6-foot-9 big man could be justified by their previously reported interest in both he and Golden State’s skilled perimeter defender and athletic dunker Gary Payton II prior to this season’s trade deadline on Feb. 6.
With Looney as a potential acquisition for Los Angeles, the team would gain an incredibly reliable option with plenty of playoff experience as a three-time NBA champion with Golden State.
He’d likely fit in as a respected veteran and screen-setting savant due to his experience playing alongside four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry.
As a prospective member of the Lakers, he’d be using his mastery of two-man actions as a roller to assist both Dončić and LeBron James in their quest for a title.