Golden State Warriors Reportedly Expected To Make $8 Million Decision

According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Golden State Warriors will likely keep Kevon Looney.

Nov 30, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and center Kevon Looney (5) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Kevon Looney has spent his entire nine-year career with the Golden State Warriors.

The former UCLA star is coming off a season where he averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest while shooting 59.7% from the field in 74 games.

However, he only averaged 16.1 minutes of playing time per game, which was his lowest since the 2020 season.

Mar 15, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) dunks for the basket ahead of Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

This summer, the Warriors can save $5 million by waiving Looney (h/t Spotrac).

That said, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports that the Warriors are likely to keep him and guarantee his full $8 million salary for the 2024-25 season.

Via Slater: "All signs point to the Warriors retaining Kevon Looney past his guarantee date on Monday, keeping him at $8 million for next season, per sources. Always possible he could be part of offseason trade, but outright release is unlikely."

Also within this: All signs point to the Warriors retaining Kevon Looney past his guarantee date on Monday, keeping him at $8 million for next season, per sources. Always possible he could be part of offseason trade, but outright release is unlikely. https://t.co/hlj9a7OHU4

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 22, 2024

Looney was the 30th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and has career averages of 5.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest while shooting 58.3% from the field in 523 regular season games.

He has also appeared in 77 NBA playoff games (27 starts) and has been with Golden State for three titles.

Jun 13, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney (5) jumps for a rebound in game five of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Ezra Shaw/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports / Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

As for the Warriors, they were the tenth seed in the Western Conference with a 46-36 record.

They lost to the Sacramento Kings in the play-in tournament, so they missed the NBA playoffs for the third time in the previous five seasons.

The franchise has also won four titles since 2015.