The New Orleans Pelicans made their fair share of mistakes during the 2025 offseason, but no mistake may have been bigger than signing Kevon Looney. At the time of this move, I was all for it. Looney knows how to share the floor with stars and was a winning player throughout his entire career with Golden State. But age clearly caught up to him, and the taxpayer mid-level exception New Orleans used on him could've been used elsewhere.
This season, Looney is averaging 2.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting sub-50 percent from the field in 13.9 minutes per game. On top of this lackluster production, he has also just appeared in 18 games this season, as New Orleans has seen three other centers leapfrog him in the depth chart.
Having Looney and this type of production from a fourth-string center would be great for the Pelicans if he were making a veteran minimum, but at his $8 million price tag, it's not worth it. Especially when looking at the other option New Orleans could have pursued with this money.
A missed opportunity
The Pelicans had only one major asset this summer: their taxpayer mid-level exception, so missing on it the way they did with the Looney signing is disappointing. This is especially true when considering the other options New Orleans could have pursued with that money.
Jake LaRavia and Day'Ron Sharpe both signed for roughly $6 million annually, both players who better fit into the Pelicans timeline and have been solid rotation pieces for the Lakers and Nets this season. Clint Capela is another example, as he signed a three-year deal roughly worth $7 million annually with Houston. These three players could all have come to the Pelicans and provided some production, but instead, the franchise is stuck with a 30-year-old who's played fewer than 300 minutes this season.
Aside from what Looney brings on the court, the other draw with signing him was that he is a 3-time NBA champion and could be a great veteran voice in the locker room.
But this isn't a role he needs to play because, due to early-season injuries, the Pelicans brought in DeAndre Jordan. All season long, DJ has been a voice, both on the bench and lately on the court, as he's started the team's last five games. That role of experienced, championship-winning veteran that many thought Looney would play has been all Jordan, and it's another reason this signing was a flop.
Obviously, replacing Looney with someone else at his price point likely wouldn't have fully altered the Pelicans' season, as the team sits at 19–43 and 13th in the Western Conference. However, spending the team's only available cap space elsewhere may have helped New Orleans notch a few more wins this season and have them still in the hunt for a play-in berth.
Thankfully, the Pelicans hold a club option for the second year of Looney's contract, meaning they can pull the plug on this experiment this summer.