Kevon Looney’s future at the Golden State Warriors appears all but over as the beloved 3x champion prepares to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason.

The Warriors are expected to make an obvious call on the contracts of young centers Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis, leaving Looney’s spot at the franchise in jeopardy a decade after he was drafted 30th overall in 2015.

Kevon Looney’s time with the Warriors appears all but over

Jackson-Davis has a $2.2 million non-guaranteed contract for next season, while Post has a $2 million team option Golden State will have to decide upon by the end of this month.

Given both young centers started at least 14 regular season games for the Warriors this season, and given the value in cheap contracts within the new CBA, Anthony Slater of The Athletic expects both Post and Jackson-Davis to be back with the franchise.

…”They have two guys who I think are going to be on the roster next year — Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis — that are on the cheapest style of NBA deals which are second-round minimums,” Slater said on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast.

While Slater stated that “we’ll see” in regards to Looney, the writing appears on the wall for the veteran big man whose on-court role with Golden State has faded over the last 18 months. He initially lost his starting role to Jackson-Davis last year, before Post’s elite 3-point shooting ability saw him jump both in the rotation by the second-half of this season.

The Warriors aren’t necessarily going to make Looney a priority in free agency if they view him as a third-string big off the bench, while it’s also unlikely they offer him more than the minimum to return to the only NBA franchise he’s ever known.

Los Angeles Lakers insider Anthony Irwin recently stated that they could target Looney with the taxpayer mid-level exception, potentially outbidding Golden State in the process given their own TPMLE might go to an alternative center or another area of need.

Despite Looney’s minutes falling from 23.1 in 2022-23 to 16.1 last season and 15 this season, his experience and locker room presence could make him valuable to contending or rebuilding teams alike.

Those elements may convince the Warriors to bring Looney back on a minimum deal, but that’s far from a guarantee given the expectation they’ll retain and continue developing Post and Jackson-Davis going forward.