Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr made a point to pitch the idea of a long-term contract for big man Kevon Looney following yet another impactful performance in Game 3 of the first-round series against the L.A. Clippers.
Looney followed a career-high 19-point effort with 10 points in 17 minutes on Thursday night, bolstering the second unit with solid play at both ends of the floor.
“I was terrified all of last year after we denied the option that we were gum lose him, because I thought he was great last year,” said Kerr, according to Connor LeTourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. “But it was a bad free agent market for the players last summer, and people just didn't have money. So we got lucky in terms of being able to keep him, and he's turned into such a good player for us, and I'm really, really hoping that we can keep him long-term, and we can give him the contract that he deserves so he can make some good money and we can enjoy having him on our team for many years. That's the plan.”
Looney has yet to play 20 or more minutes in this series, yet he's been fantastically efficient for the Warriors, making 14 of his 17 shot attempts, all while playing stellar defense.
His talents will be needed throughout the course of this postseason now that DeMarcus Cousins is likely out for the remainder of the playoffs.
The Warriors hold Looney's full Bird rights after having him in the roster for four straight seasons and will be able to sign him to a long-term deal that matches market price.
Teammate Andre Iguodala unselfishly said he hopes Looney doesn't come back so that he gets all the money he deserves.
“I hope he gets paid, so I hope he doesn’t come back because I hope he gets all the money,” he said, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
However, if the Warriors are ready to break through the luxury tax and pay the man his rightful due, who's to say he can't make the Bay Area his long-term home after this offseason.
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