Kevon Looney is going to be a key free agent in the offseason, and it'll be very interesting to see where he lands.
Remember that Looney's greatest season with the Warriors culminated in his third NBA Finals ring. He played a big role for the champions, too. Incredibly, he started 80 of the 82 games he participated in for the Warriors in 2021–22. Additionally, he participated in 22 postseason games, starting in 13.
During Golden State's postseason run, the Warriors' Iron Man was outstanding. In fact, he gave explosive performances in the Western Conference semifinals and Western Conference Finals.
When he grabbed 22 rebounds in Game 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies, fans may have felt he had reached the pinnacle of his career. Only a few nights later, however, he may have had his finest game ever.
In a crucial Game 2 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Looney put up a career-high 21 points in 32 minutes. He shot 10-of-14 from the field and also grabbed 12 rebounds. Because of his performance, Looney even received “MVP! MVP!” cheers from the crowd at the Chase Center.
Those kinds of performances helped him attract the attention of NBA teams from all over the map. Consequently, a couple of teams not named Golden State are already interested in the big guy as he enters the 2022 NBA free agency period, which begins June 30 at 6 p.m. ET.
Looney averaged 6.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game last season while also shooting 57.1 percent from the field. Beyond the numbers, though, the 26-year-old has proven to be full of surprises. There really is no telling what he'll accomplish next season, wherever he ends up.
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3 Best Destinations For Kevon Looney In 2022 NBA Free Agency
Simply put, the Charlotte Hornets would do well to snag Kevon Looney in free agency. That's true, especially with so much uncertainty surrounding Miles Bridges and with Mason Plumlee as their top center.
Had the Hornets managed to finalize a deal with prospective coach Kenny Atkinson, landing Looney would have been much more probable. Still, if Looney ends up in Charlotte, he can expect to play a big role. He may even get a bump in his production with someone like LaMelo Ball trying to find him in his scoring spots around the basket.
The caveat is Looney will very likely not win a fourth title next season with the Hornets. He may also do even more heavy lifting if they botch a chance at re-signing Bridges.
With erstwhile Warriors associate head coach Mike Brown now helming the Kings, this could be a viable destination for Looney.
Sure, Brown has more frontline pieces to work with compared to the Hornets. That doesn't mean, however, that there wouldn't be any room for Looney. Domantas Sabonis and rookie Keegan Murray are the expected starters for Sacramento this coming season, but Looney would be the perfect complement to either of those players.
Looney could easily be a complementary big doing the dirty work of screening and rebounding, while Sabonis and Murray can focus on their offense. Looney has also shown that he can help make his guards look good. This would be great news for De'Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell.
A move to the Kings, however, means Looney will have to accept that he'll be part of a rebuilding process instead of a dynasty.
This may seem like low-hanging fruit, but the reality is that re-signing and staying put with the Golden State Warriors is the most sensible option for Kevon Looney.
All the story elements are present. He can win a fourth ring, not to mention going back-to-back again. The Warriors know how to maximize Looney's skill-set, and life would be much easier for him if he's teamed up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green rather than if he played against them.
Additionally, the Warriors also own Looney's Bird rights, so they can afford to pay whatever it takes to keep him. Honestly, it's difficult to think of any scenario where the Dubs would just let Looney walk.
Maybe the only potential downside of sticking with the Warriors is Looney will have to look over his shoulder as James Wiseman gets healthier and grows his game in the coming years.