The day has finally arrived: December 15, the date renowned around the NBA as the start of trade season. This is the day when most players signed during the offseason become trade-eligible, and any player traded before December 16 can be packaged with other players in another deal by the February trade deadline without having to wait the usual 60 days.
For New Orleans Pelicans fans, this day is less about excitement and more of a painful reminder of the disappointment that has been the Kevon Looney addition. Looney was the front office's lone free agent signing, and while he is trade-eligible today, the chances of the team netting a positive return for him are next to zero.
Looney has appeared in just 12 of the Pelicans' 27 games this season and is averaging 2.7 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting a disappointing 42.4 percent from the field. This type of play is an obvious sign that age has caught up to Looney, and the regression we saw last season while he was still with the Warriors was real.
It appears the Pelicans will just have to wait things out with Looney
Now I know most Pelicans fans and people around the NBA weren't as high on this addition as I was during the offseason. I remained optimistic during the offseason and said that having a center who doesn't demand the ball was exactly what the Pelicans needed alongside Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III.
While he clearly hasn't been able to provide starting-caliber play for this team, the other main draw in signing Looney was the veteran and championship experience he brings. The idea was that Looney could be a real leader in the locker room and help guide these young players in developing winning habits. However, this hasn't materialized as DeAndre Jordan looks like the veteran this team's young talent leans on.
Obviously, I'm not in the locker room or traveling with the team, so maybe Looney is doing a lot as a vocal leader for this group behind the scenes. That being said, based on what we see night in and night out on the broadcast, the leader for this team is Jordan, not Looney.
While the Kevon Looney signing continues to look like a massive swing and a miss for the Pelicans at least, the front office did include a team option for the second year of his contract, giving them a clear path to move on in the 2026 offseason.