Over the last few seasons, it’s been a rarity for the Golden State Warriors to dish out a non-max contract. They have four players currently on max deals — Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green.
One of the only players not on a max deal yet also not on a minimum-value deal is Kevon Looney.
The Golden State Warriors, in order to free up a pinch of cap space, should look to trade former first-round pick center, Kevon Looney.
Looney was given a three-year, $15 million deal after a terrific run in the 2019 playoffs. The undersized center gave the team great minutes against the Rockets in a run that stretch of games which Kevin Durant missed time.
Looney didn’t score much, but he was a capable defender, oftentimes switching onto James Harden. He was also extremely active on the glass. After being awarded the deal, Looney had an injured-played season in which the Warriors won just 15 games.
They then were given the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Memphis 7-foot-3 center James Wiseman was selected, and he was named the starter. Wiseman’s progression not only hurts Looney’s value but should make him expendable given his contract situation.
The Warriors likely will be adding more frontcourt depth as well which could hurt Looney’s playing time. After going basically all of February without a big man, the Dubs had their eyes opened to the frailness of their two big men.
Adding cheap frontcourt talent should be a huge priority for the Warriors this offseason, and if they can acquire a player like Charlotte’s Cody Zeller, it could spell the end of Looney’s time in the Bay Area.
Now, Looney does technically still have to accept his player option, but it’s assumed he’ll do that as it’s a better deal than anything he’d find on the market. Having averaged just 4.1 points per game in 19 minutes of action, Looney needed to show more last season.
While he played well enough for most of the season, the Warriors will have the options on the market to improve upon that position. If they can do that, which seems reasonable, Looney becomes a liability, especially with his contract.
Trading Looney doesn’t seem to be in the game plan for now, but it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing to see.