Golden State Warriors Make Roster Move Before NBA Free Agency

The Golden State Warriors have made a roster move

Apr 14, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; The Golden State Warriors bench watches the closing minutes against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports | D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

The deadline has arrived for the Golden State Warriors to make a decision on Kevin Looney’s non-guaranteed $8M salary for next season, and according to Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle, the team has chosen to guarantee it.

This was the expected move for the Warriors, because even if the team does not plan to have Looney play a big role on the court next season, this roster moves allows for much more optionality than releasing him would have. Looney’s playing time dwindled last season due to the emergence of rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis, but the veteran big man still has utility in certain matchups, and could also be used in a trade this summer.

With an $8M expiring deal, Looney could be easy for Golden State to include in a trade, which is also what they are expected to pursue with Chris Paul’s non-guaranteed salary. While the Warriors could be limited in their ability to facilitate certain deals due to the league’s new very restrictive CBA, it seems there are ways for the team to use both Paul and Looney’s expiring contracts to make significant upgrades.

Golden State has been “actively searching for paths to larger-scale upgrades”, per @anthonyVslater.

Slater reported that the Warriors have spoken to Chris Paul about potentially moving his $30M guarantee date from June 28 back until sometime in July.

With the Warriors…
— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) June 22, 2024

While Klay Thompson is the biggest offseason story, the Warriors had to make a decision on Looney, which they have now done. With free agency around the corner, this will be a huge offseason for the Warriors.

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