I thought Kevon “Duront” Looney was still on his rookie contract, but I just checked, and he’s actually on a one-year minimum-salary contract this year. Smart move by the Warriors: play a guy sparingly in his first three seasons and then sign him on a super cheap deal because he hasn’t shown enough to get a contract anywhere else. Now they have a decent role-playing center on a cheap deal who gives them salary flexibility in addition to 60% shooting from the field.
The only problem is, that trick’s not going to work again because Looney has shown he has value in the league. And next off-season is when the Warriors have to figure out who’s gotta get a mega-max contract, who’s gonna get a regular max contract, who’s gonna get a big non-max contract, and who’s not gonna get a contract at all. Unless Looney fits into some kind of “exception” or gets another minimum contract, he might be gone.
This is all speculation that’s probably premature. I have a problem with premature speculation. The point is, the Warriors have a track record of squeezing production out of the afterthoughts on their roster, and Looney is just another one of those guys.