Patrick McCaw is the more important free-agent wing to watch. It’s more likely that Young is somewhere still shirtless, celebrating this title in October, rather than in camp. Still: It’d be a stunner if he’s back next season. He was a fun locker-room presence and a few random playoff 3s and not disastrous defense in the final couple rounds turned his $5.2 million midlevel contract from obvious mistake to slightly salvaged. There are only two other free agents on the roster. But a super productive Finals - 16-of-20 shooting - reinforced the fact that he’s a useful tool in the right matchup. ![]() JaVale, seated next to Pachulia in the Rockets series, looked a little while ago like a sure thing to leave town this summer. So it’s still likely that the Warriors have a fourth center on the roster, for insurance purposes. Jones had that random late-season breakout game in Oklahoma City, exciting the fan base and coaching staff, but it’s still risky to hand a guaranteed rotation spot to him next season. Expect them to trim that to probably four this summer, flipping two of those into perimeter guys, one of those likely coming with the 28th pick in the draft later this month.ĭamian Jones will occupy a third center spot. They had six centers on their roster this season. Another thing the Rockets series exposed: the Warriors’ need for more wing options. But even if either or both want to continue their careers, it’s unlikely it’ll be with the Warriors. Pachulia and West are the two most likely to be gone. It’ll be him (and Looney, if he returns) who handle the bulk of the center spot. But by the Rockets series, he was back in it, using that linebacker strength-and-speed combo to fly around the court defensively against Houston - not always wisely but always athletically - and bounce around on the back side for easy dunks against Cleveland’s breakdowns.īell is a restricted free agent after next season, but he’s back on the cheap next year. Bell pushed into the rotation early, was pulled back into the inactive list briefly, found his way into the starting lineup and then suffered two ankle injuries that derailed his season.īy the start of the playoffs, he was out of the rotation. If he returns, he’ll join a young tag-team with Bell, the rookie who just went through a playing time roller coaster in Year 1. It’s likely his stock is still at a point that the Warriors will be able to bring him back on the cheap. But there’s not a ton of money on the market, and Looney just sank into the background on the most publicized stage. Then it’ll be up to Looney to decide whether he wants to take a pay cut to stay. If a team goes over that, they can’t match. And, in a strange way, his disappearance in the Finals may have made it easier for the Warriors to make that happen.īecause they declined his option for next season, the Warriors are allowed to give Looney only $2.3 million this summer. But he very much fits the Houston matchup, which makes him very useful to have on the roster moving forward. LeBron James was too much for him and there were better offensive options to exploit Cleveland’s leaky defense. Looney wasn’t used much in the Finals, only 39 minutes in four games against the Cavaliers, including only three in the final two after Iguodala returned. His lanky and patient yet disruptive approach was a huge part of that. While on the court, the Warriors had a defensive rating of 97.5. He got dragged into countless isolation situations. Looney played 135 minutes over those seven games against the Rockets. During the Western Conference finals, he started as the first sub off the bench and then became the fifth starter once Andre Iguodala went down. Looney emerged from the NBA’s version of near roster banishment - his fourth-year option was declined in October - to become the most important big in the most important series. ![]() Jordan Bell was just out of the rotation, Kevon Looney and Damian Jones were way out of it.īut here were their minute totals in the playoffs: Looney 387, West 175, Bell 173, McGee 158, Pachulia 26 and Jones 11. The season opened with Zaza Pachulia as the starter, David West as the key backup and JaVale McGee as the third rotation big. ![]() The youth movement has started at the center spot. But this postseason also came attached to some positive signs about some internal growth. Our Tim Kawakami theorized some free-agency options here. That will include bringing in some help from the outside.
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