Kevon Looney might be a beloved 3x champion at the Golden State Warriors, but his time at the franchise appears to becoming to an end based on the latest reports ahead of free agency.
The Warriors understand their need for a veteran stretch big entering next season, having relied too heavily on Draymond Green as a small-ball five following Jimmy Butler's arrival in February.
Al Horford reports signal the end for Kevon Looney at the Warriors
The search for that player could lead Golden State to Boston Celtics big man Al Horford, with the 5x All-Star noted as a "preferred target" for the franchise by Anthony Slater of The Athletic in the hours leading up to free agency.
That report provides the most crystal clear signal yet of how the Warriors feel about Looney and his free agency. He certainly won't be a priority given Golden State still have to come to a resolution on restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, while it appears that the franchise may have little interest in a reunion with Looney anyway.
If Golden State do add Horford or another stretch five, they'd have three big men on the roster given Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis are already under contract. With the latter two having already proven capable rotation pieces as young players, there would be little need for the Warriors to add a fourth center even if Looney does bring a lot from a cultural and locker room standpoint.
The Looney scenario is much like Kuminga's, just with far less fanfare and drama. The 29-year-old will still hold value to some teams around the league, but the specific fit at Golden State has simply become too difficult given the spacing concerns and Looney's overall limitations on the offensive end.
After starting 150 of his 162 games across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Looney lost his starting role to a rookie Jackson-Davis in 2023-24. His minutes reduced from 23.1 to 16.1 as a result, and have since fallen to 15 minutes per game last season after the emergence of Post and his floor-spacing ability. The 10-year veteran averaged just 10.0 minutes across Golden State's 12-game playoff run, putting up only 2.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 43.5% from the floor.
The Warriors have identified their need for more offense ahead of next season, and shipping out Looney and bringing in someone like Horford would be a heart-breaking but completely justifiable move in addressing that.