The Golden State Warriors continue to roll in the wake of the Jimmy Butler trade, having now won 14 of their past 16 games after Saturday's 97-94 victory over the New York Knicks at Chase Center.
Despite sending out four players in the trade for Butler, the Warriors still have a significant amount of depth largely thanks to the emergence of second-year forward Gui Santos and rookie center Quinten Post.
With Jonathan Kuminga returning earlier in the week and Brandin Podziemski targeting a return against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, Golden State is likely to have 11 players who have all played considerable roles and warrant rotation minutes.
Kevon Looney might find himself out of the rotation mix again
An 11-man rotation simply isn't viable for this point of the season where the urgency is high, nor in the playoffs where coaches usually go to an eight or maybe nine-man rotation. That means Steve Kerr is going to have to make some decisions as he himself acknowledged prior to Saturday's win.
"I would hate to take anybody out of the rotation right now the way everyone is playing, but I'm probably going to have to," Kerr said.
The signs from Saturday's game suggests that veteran center Kevon Looney may be the player most under threat of losing his minutes as the Warriors regain health. The 3x NBA champion was already the 11th-man from an average minutes standpoint over the past 10 games, but saw his time reduced even more to just over six minutes against the Knicks.
With Kerr going small in starting Draymond Green at center, Post was moved back to a bench role which subsequently impacted Looney's minutes as well. If Golden State start big with both Green and Post, then it's far more difficult to leave Looney out of the mix.
The 29-year-old has had a solid bounce-back season, but he still comes with offensive limitations that restricts what kind of lineups he can play in. With the Warriors possessing more versatility elsewhere on the roster, it's understandable as to why Kerr may be looking at higher-upside bench units.
All of this comes ahead of a big offseason for Looney where he'll again become an unrestricted free agent. The close to the regular season and then the playoffs will play a big factor in what he may command during the summer, and what Golden State may be willing to spend to retain a player that's been so important over the past decade.
"Free agency is always crazy, so whatever happens, happens," Looney said to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype recently.
Looney's role may diminish for the moment, yet Post's inexperience means that the reliable 10-year veteran could still be a significant factor as the Warriors look to continue their momentum into the postseason.