Kevon Looney's NBA future could be in serious trouble just one year after departing the Golden State Warriors, with the 3x NBA champion likely needing to enter free agency again this offseason.
Looney signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency last offseason, but endured arguably his worst year since becoming a consistent member of the Warrior rotation nearly a decade ago.
Kevon Looney's career is in trouble ahead of likely Pelicans decision
Looney appeared in just 21 games for a lowly Pelicans team that finished with a 26-56 record, racking up DNP after DNP despite what was an inexperienced center rotation highlighted by Yves Missi and Derik Queen.
Things went from bad to worse for Looney in February when New Orleans played fellow veteran center Deandre Jordan over him, signifying his fall in on-court value after being a vitally important rotation player for Golden State just three years ago.
Looney wound up averaging 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in his 14.7 minutes per game, numbers that were boosted in the second and third-last game of the season where he played a combined 53 minutes.
The Pelicans will now have a decision to make on Looney's future given there's a team option on next season's deal, but there won't be much back-and-forth consideration according to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron.
"Looney will almost certainly get his option declined after failing to carve out a role in a rotation that was desperate for center play," Gozlan wrote.
Kevon Looney may struggle to find suitors in free agency
If Looney couldn't get minutes and any sort of role on a team Gozlan describes as being "desperate for center play," then what hope does that give him of finding a new team and contract should he hit free agency again as expected?
Perhaps Looney's value now sits more with his leadership and impact in the locker room, rather than as the strong rebounder, passer and overall meaningful contributor that he developed into for years with Golden State.
The 30-year-old's contract with the Pelicans certainly drew some surprise last offseason, and it would now be truly shocking if Looney was able to generate anything more than the league minimum heading into what would be a 12th NBA season.
Could we see a reunion with Looney at the Warriors considering their uncertain center situation? That would appear incredibly unlikely given their focus on more offensively-minded, stretch big men in the past 12 months.
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