Report reveals Warriors’ plan for key veteran

Oct 30, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; T-shirts depicting a map of the bay area and the new bay bridge Golden State Warriors logo at Oracle Arena before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Change appears to be imminent for the Golden State Warriors this offseason. But at least one veteran free agent reportedly won’t be impacted by the team’s impending roster turnover.

There were rumblings earlier this month that Warriors center Kevon Looney was likely to be cut after nine seasons with the team.

Only $3 million out of Looney’s $8 million salary for next season is currently guaranteed. Golden State has until Monday to release Looney before the final year of his contract becomes fully guaranteed.

The Warriors have one of the messiest salary cap situations in the NBA and are slated to pay a hefty luxury tax bill as a repeat offender last season. Cutting ties with Looney could save team owner Joe Lacob a few extra million.

But the Warriors are now expected to keep Looney past the Monday deadline, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. The report added that the impending decision wouldn’t shield Looney from potentially being included in an offseason trade.

Looney is a 3-time champion and has been a member of the Warriors’ roster since the 2015-16 campaign. The UCLA alum has averaged 5.0 points and 5.6 rebounds throughout his career. Looney has appeared in exactly 600 games (regular season and playoffs) for the Warriors.

The decision to potentially keep Looney is definitely a much easier one to make given the relatively low dollar figure. The same can’t be said about the Warriors’ Klay Thompson dilemma.