The Golden State Warriors will NOT exercise the 4th-year option on Kevon Looney, but they WILL exercise the 3rd-year option on Damian Jones.
According to NBA reporter Chris Haynes of ESPN, the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors have opted not to exercise the 4th-year contract option on forward Kevon Looney. Looney, 21, will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2017-18 season.
The announcement of the decision not to pick up Looney’s 4th-year option comes soon after Looney’s best game to date in a Warriors uniform, in which he posted nine points, five rebounds and one block in roughly 11 minutes against the Washington Wizards.
He was also notably 4-of-4 from the field and 1-of-1 from the free throw line, helping the Warriors to close out the Wizards at Oracle Arena in the absence of Draymond Green.
Having undergone multiple hip surgeries early in his NBA career, things were finally looking up for the UCLA product, who shed just about 30 pounds this past summer to get in better shape in hopes of earning a long term spot with Golden State.
Golden State will not exercise 4th-year option of Kevon Looney, league sources tell ESPN. He’ll become an unrestricted at end of season.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 31, 2017
Unfortunately, the $2.2 million he’s set to make in his fourth year make it difficult for Golden State to avoid the luxury tax, which was ultimately the reason why they chose not to pick him up for a fourth consecutive season.
Should he remain healthy, however, Looney is still in great position to have a breakout season, which could possibly persuade another NBA team of taking a chance on him. Even with guys like JaVale McGee, David West, Jordan Bell and Damian Jones crowding the frontcourt, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has continually shown a propensity to get every player on the team some run, including Looney.
Sources: Warriors ecstatic about Looney’s development, but tax ramifications forced their hands. Damian Jones to have 3rd-year picked up.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 31, 2017
Damian Jones — who’s currently assigned to Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, ahead of the G League season opener — will be excited to hear that the Warriors have chosen to exercise the $1.7 million option for his third year in the league.
The athletic 7-footer still has a ways to go, but he’ll hopefully turn the corner by the end of this season.