Kevon Looney, a key member of the Golden State Warriors‘ last three championship runs, could land on the New York Knicks this offseason if they cut him loose, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz.
“Looney will be an option only if one of the Knicksâ most dreaded free-agent scenarios plays out. If [Isaiah] Hartenstein walks for a larger offer, especially considering New York is capped at how much it can pay the center, then the team needs a replacement. Looney could fill the void.
He fits the Knicksâ vibe check. Looney is a rebounder first, one of the worldâs most ferocious on the glass. He finished 10th in the NBA in offensive rebound rate this past season. Heâs a physical presence down low and would arrive with championship experience, a member of three of the Warriorsâ titles,” Katz wrote on June 11.
The Knicks could use their midlevel exception to sign Looney if he hits the open market and offers him the playing time he had lost this season with the Warriors.
Looneyâs future in the Bay Area is uncertain after he lost his regular rotation spot to rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis.
His streak of consecutive games played ended at 290 during a March 8 loss to the Chicago Bulls this season. He received a DNP (Did Not Play) in eight of the Warriorsâ final 21 games.
Looney averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in a four-year low of 16.1 minutes per game this season.
Kevon Looney Likely to Get Cut
Only $3 million of Looney’s $8 million salary for next season is guaranteed. Getting bumped off the regular rotation might have signaled the end of his run with the Warriors.
âI think the likeliest situation is that heâs cut, and he makes $3 million from them, and heâs off looking for another spot,â The Athleticâs Tim Kawakami said on the âWarriors Plus Minusâ podcast on June 6.
The Warriors have explored trading for a new center ahead of last February trade deadline, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, which coincided with Looney’s playing time shrinking when Draymond Green returned from his second suspension.
âThe Warriors have explored the center market. Could Wendell Carter Jr. be obtained from the Orlando Magic? Atlantaâs Clint Capela is reportedly available. Is Brooklynâs Nic Claxton worth the price itâd take to get him and whatever contract heâd command in free agency this summer?â Slater wrote on January 30.
‘The Ball Isnât in My Court’
With his future murky, Looney is in a wait-and-see mode, still hoping to remain with the team that drafted him but preparing himself for the inevitable.
âThe ball isnât in my court,â Looney said âDraymond Green Showâ on June 9. âI donât have full control over my destiny, so I kind of have to play the waiting game, control what I can control. Iâve been here my whole career. I donât know nothing else. You always want to finish what you started and be somewhere for your whole career, but Iâve been in this business long enough to know thatâs not realistic. Iâm preparing myself for whatever. My familyâs out here, the Bayâs been great to me. They treat me like family, I grew up here.
âI havenât really thought about it too far. Iâm trying to see what theyâre going to do first before I push the envelope and see what I want to do.â
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