There are a ton of reasons for a team's success other than the star who is front and center. The Golden State Warriors dynasty knows this more than most others in the past decade. While Stephen Curry has still been their primary off-ball great and Draymond Green continues to be a defensive menace, a guy like Kevon Looney has been fairly essential to the Steve Kerr-led squad. So, a move concerning him needed to be made in order to fill out the squad's foundations for the NBA Free Agency.
Big moves to re-tool Stephen Curry's squad?
The Warriors have guaranteed Kevon Looney's contract for the 2024-25 season, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. It was a deal that amounted to $8 million and they confirmed the move on the day of the deadline. While this usually means that someone will play for the squad that they signed to, this might not be the case for Steve Kerr's squad. They are looking to get new talent for Stephen Curry. It can happen during the NBA Free Agency or in some other sort of acquisition.
If the Warriors did not guarantee the deal, Looney would have been waived off the squad. This means that he would not be used as an asset in any of their trades or moves to match the salaries of players that they might want. Why is this important, you ask?
Well, it has been reported that this move could be due to the Warriors moving Looney through a trade. Trayce Jackson-Davis has been the primary rebounder and rim protector in Kerr's rotation. This was especially true in the latter part of their campaign. So, an aging big like Looney, who struggled mightily playing drop coverages while also losing his lateral quickness due to age, might not be the best fit for the Warriors. After all, they do want to make the most of Curry's years during the twilight of his prime.
Would a team want to trade with the Warriors and involve Kevon Looney?
Looney is still a very desirable asset for a young team that wants a piece of the Warriors dynasty. He did win three championships with Steve Kerr. That experience of being able to see the mountaintop surely gives someone a lot of veteran championship-winning acumen.
His numbers are also not that bad when played. He got the Warriors 4.5 points per game on a 59.7% clip from all three levels of scoring. The dominance he displays in grabbing boards after misses from Curry or Klay Thompson is still there. Looney still got his squad 5.7 rebounds on average while just playing 16.1 minutes. If he was played with a heavier usage rate, like in 2022-23, that number spikes up to 9.3 rebounds a game.
Looney's screens and short rolls for easy lobs have also been very valuable to the Warriors. He has a very good IQ and is capable of working well in a decently spaced offense. Moreover, he is also still improving despite being 28 years old. In fact, he even ranked eighth in the Most Improved Player of the Year award voting back in 2022-23. All of this adds up to a keeper for Curry's squad or a fantastic asset that other squads may want to trade for during NBA Free Agency.
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