The Golden State Warriors will have a number of difficult decisions to make this offseason, but none may be more heart-wrenching than what they choose to do with veteran center Kevon Looney.
Looney controls his own destiny as an unrestricted free agent, yet his standing at the franchise suggests he’ll be back so long as the franchise wants him. Whether or not that’s the case remains to be seen, with any hesitancy from the Warriors potentially opening the door for one of their biggest rivals to take advantage.
A lack of center options proved fatal for the Los Angeles Lakers following the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade, and that will now serve as their biggest priority heading into the offseason.
Should the Warriors really be using their taxpayer mid-level exception on Looney though? For as beloved as he is and for everything he’s done for the franchise on and off the court over the last decade, that may not be the best use of their money.
At this stage of his career, Looney is nothing but a serviceable backup center — at least in the Warrior system where a combination with Draymond Green simply doesn’t provide enough spacing. Given Golden State already have youngsters Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis as rotation-caliber centers on rookie contracts, it would seem unnecessary to bring back another reserve big man on more than the minimum.
If the Warriors only offer Looney a minimum deal — or don’t offer him a contract at all — then that could grant the Lakers their wish of a proven veteran big with championship experience.
How valuable Looney could be for the Lakers given he’s nor a lob threat or floor spacer remains to be seen, but his rebounding and defense could still prove helpful for a team that ranked 17th and 26th in those aspects this season.
Deciding to move on from Looney would be a gut-wrenching decision within itself for Golden State, but seeing him depart to one of their closest rivals would add an extra dagger to the heart after he was originally drafted 30th overall in 2015.
Looney’s 15 minutes per game this season were the lowest of his last five years, with the 29-year-old averaging 4.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists before his numbers and playing time plummeted even further in the playoffs
Following their second-round playoff elimination at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, it became quickly reported that the Golden State Warriors may look at addressing their center rotation this offseason.
The Warriors need more offense than what’s provided by Trayce Jackson-Davis and unrestricted free agent Kevon Looney, while leaning on a second-year Quinten Post may be too much to ask for a team looking to re-enter legitimate championship contention.
Myles Turner is currently plying his trade in the NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers, with the belief that he’ll remain with the franchise that drafted him way back in 2015. However, NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported on Sunday that Pistons are viewed as a “potential suitor” for Turner as an unrestricted free agent.
With Turner’s new contract likely to near or exceed $30 million per season, it’s unlikely Golden State would be able to get in the conversation anyway. Yet beyond the Pacers big man, the Pistons could also be a threat to signing cheaper alternatives the Warriors could otherwise get involved in.
Detroit not only have more cap space to sign potential free agents, but also arguably have the better contracts, picks and young players to outbid Golden State in any trade scenario. The Warriors could incentivize prospective targets by claiming their closer to championship contention, yet even that may not be so strong given the contrasting quality between the West and Eastern Conference.
With the Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers both notably in the market for big men, it will be fascinating to see if the Warriors can do enough to acquire a true difference-making center heading into next season.
