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Before the Golden State Warriors guaranteed Kevon Looney’s $8 million salary for this season, they nearly parted ways with their longest-tenured center and a key member of their last three championship teams.
Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto reported that the veteran center was discussed in initial trade talks with several teams before returning to the Warriors for the final season of his three-year, $22.5 million contract.
“Finally, center Kevon Looney drew exploratory trade interest from the Knicks, Thunder, and Grizzlies early this offseason before the organizations pivoted in other directions, HoopsHype has learned. Amid his 10th season of his career, all with the Warriors, Looney has since led the team in rebounding (7.6) in 14.9 minutes per game,” Scotto wrote.
Looney is part of Kerr’s expanded 12-man rotation that is unusual in today’s NBA. With the Warriors losing their last four games, Kerr might have to rethink his strategy and shorten his rotation for the players to find their rhythm.
Looney’s strong rebounding could secure his place in Kerr’s rotation moving forward.
It’s a big turnaround for Looney, who was standing on shaky ground last season. After playing a key role in the Warriors’ 2022 championship run, Looney saw his minutes go down as then-rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis jumped over him in the rotation.
Kevon Looney’s Benching Last Season
Looney’s streak of 290 games played, the second-longest in the league, came to an end in the Warriors’ 125-122 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, March 7, at Chase Center.
“The thing with Loon is he’s a great pro,” Kerr said on the “Willard and Dibs” on 95.7 The Game on March 8. “The streak, what it represents is what’s really important that he’s available every single night. The number is just the number. And he’s ready. We’re going to need him again for sure. We’re going to need him against certain matchups in the playoffs. I know what he can do and I know how professional he is. And having said all that I feel terrible about breaking that streak because I know it meant a lot to him.”
Kerr revealed at that time the difficult talk he had with Looney.
“We talked about this. Last week I went to Loon and talked to him about Trayce [Jackson-Davis] taking over that role,” Kerr said on the “Willard and Dibs” on 95.7 The Game on March 8 “And I told him how much pride that I have in his streak, and I knew how much pride he had and I had a similar one as a player that I took great pride in.
“But, the bottom line for me is, we’ve committed to giving those minutes to Trayce and it didn’t feel right to me to just for the sake of the streak, throw Loon out there for a couple of minutes. I didn’t think that was fair. It’s almost patronizing in a lot of ways.”
Big Minutes Await in Denver
With Draymond Green doubtful for their December 3 road game in Denver, Looney could see increased minutes as the Warriors try to get back on track against three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
Green experienced left calf tightness as he skipped the Warriors’ practice on December 2.
“I would call it doubtful,” Kerr said, per NBC Sports Bay Area. “We got to be careful. … Doubtful tomorrow, we’ll see how it holds up.”
If Green misses time, Kerr will have to rely on Jackson-Davis and Looney to defend Jokic. Kyle Anderson, who only logged seven minutes in their last game, could also benefit from Green’s likely absence.
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Warriors Nearly Traded Key Member of Championship Team in Offseason: Report