Lakers officially beat out Knicks, Warriors for elite $50 million rebounder, three-time NBA champion

Jul 13, 2026 - 19:30

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Lakers officially beat out Knicks, Warriors for elite $50 million rebounder, three-time NBA champion originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Lakers have finally completed all of their free agent signings.

With the organization officially outbidding the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks for a $50 million (career earnings) former Golden State Warriors elite rebounder and three-time NBA champion, Los Angeles has move one step closer to rounding out their roster.

"Welcome to the squad, Kevon (Looney)," the Lakers wrote on X/Twitter Monday, which is six days after ESPN's Shams Charania first announced the signing.

Before signing with the Lakers, Looney received significant free agent interest from the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors. On June 28, the Stein Line’s Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported that the new NBA champions were eyeing the UCLA product as a potential backup option if Mitchell Robinson departed the franchise (which he ultimately did, signing a multi-year deal with the Boston Celtics.

If Robinson does, in fact, depart New York amid the Knicks' well-chronicled financial constraints as the dreaded second apron closes in, sources say that the newly crowned champions are expected to try to bring on a veteran center with plenty of playoff experience: Former Warriors big man Kevon Looney,” Stein and Fischer wrote.

Less than a full week later, NBA insider Scoop B. Robinson reported that a reunion with the Warriors could be in the cards for Looney.

“Following his decorated tenure with the Warriors, Looney took his veteran leadership to the New Orleans Pelicans,” Robinson wrote on July 2. “Now, a return to the franchise where he spent a decade and won three rings is firmly on the table for both sides—once the ultimate prize of free agency is decided.”

“Until LeBron makes his final decision, the rest of the NBA universe—including the anticipated reunion between Kevon Looney and the Golden State Warriors—remains completely on pause.”

The Knicks and Warriors ultimately pivoted, as New York inked a deal with standout rebounder Andre Drummond to serve as Karl-Anthony Towns’ backup and Golden State signed high-upside big man Charles Bassey to assist Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford in the frontcourt.

How excited should the Lakers be about adding Looney to the fold for the upcoming campaign? Considering the former first-round pick is the ultimate glue guy who’s been a consistent 10+ rebounds-per-40-minutes contributor and has been in a winning environment, they should be in good spirits.

Of course, Los Angeles shouldn’t expect Looney to suddenly emerge as a prolific vertical athlete in the pick-and-roll who can high-point lobs with the best of them, as it simply isn’t in his repertoire.

However, as long as the Milwaukee, Wisconsin native remains true to who he is, he should be highly impactful with his new team in a backup role.

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