Warriors Rumors: 'No Talk' of Kevon Looney Being Released, Re-Signed to New Contract

The Golden State Warriors have reportedly had "no talk" of releasing and re-signing forward Kevon Looney to a new contract, per The Athletic's Anthony Slater.

According to Slater, Looney's $8 million contract will become fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster on Monday. Only $3 million is currently guaranteed.

That deadline brought up the possibility of Looney being released, though Slater noted that a release is not Golden State's current plan.

"If the Warriors did release Looney and replace him with a minimum veteran center, they wouldn't save much salary or tax regardless," Slater wrote. "There has been no talk of a release-and-re-sign of Looney, either, because he'd be expected to have interest on the open market from several rivals and would explore those options. As of now, Looney remains in the Warriors' plan as he nears the decade mark with the franchise."

Looney spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons mostly as a starter for the Warriors, but spent about half of the 2023-24 season coming off the bench and splitting time as the starter with Jonathan Kuminga. He averaged 4.5 points and 5.7 rebounds while playing 16.1 minutes per game.

While he isn't necessarily a player that turns the Warriors into a Finals contender, he produces solid minutes off the bench and makes sense to keep around. He will be a free agent after the 2024-25 season.

He is also far from Golden State's top concerns this offseason. The team has six players heading for free agency this offseason, the most impactful one being veteran shooting guard Klay Thompson.

The Warriors have reportedly offered Thompson a two-year contract ahead of free agency, but the second member of the Splash Brothers is reportedly seeking a deal that's at least three years long.

Having to navigate Thompson and other key free agents this offseason is understandably more important to the Warriors than letting Looney hit the market to save a marginal amount of money.