Kevon Looney entered the 2022 NBA playoffs as a reliable but understated member of the Golden State Warriors’ roster and ended it as a crucial piece to their championship run. Looney, who the Warriors took with the No. 30 pick of the 2015 NBA Draft and has exclusively played for the team during his NBA career, averaged 5.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 20.4 minutes per game on the team’s march to a title, and was willing to do the dirty work that let everyone else succeed in their roles.
It couldn’t have come at a better time for the 26-year-old Looney, who is slated to hit unrestricted free agency this summer. According to Marc Stein, Looney’s expected to attract interest for a number of teams, with the center-starved Charlotte Hornets, who hired Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson to take over for James Borrego, and the Sacramento Kings — who made another Warriors assistant, Mike Brown their next head coach — among those with an eye on bringing him on board.
After playing a pivotal role in Golden State’s championship success, Kevon Looney’s forthcoming free agency will be monitored more closely than anyone might have imagined a month ago. Charlotte and Sacramento, soon to be coached by Golden State assistant Mike Brown, are among the teams said to be interested in signing Looney away from the Warriors, who spent nearly $350 million this season on salary and luxury tax for their championship roster. Looney more than outplayed the three-year, $14.4 million deal he just completed with his playoff productivity and is expected to generate no shortage of external interest.
The Warriors have long shown their willingness to pay whatever it takes to keep a championship contender together, even if that costs them a whole heck of a lot of money. Regardless, a number of teams seem ready, willing, and able to test that resolve for Looney this summer.