Golden State Warriors’ future looks a bit brighter today than it looked just a few days ago as the team managed to re-sign center Kevon Looney while adding Willie Cauley-Stein in recent days.
Looney established himself as a reliable rotation piece in the past season, playing 18.5 minutes on average and getting 6.2 points and 5.2 boards per game. Several other teams looked to use the Warriors’ salary cap constraints and lure him out of Golden State, but he ended up staying with the organization on a three-year deal, worth around $15 million.
Cauley-Stein, on the other hand, will sign a deal with the Warriors that is worth little above the minimum salary. The 25-year-old was a restricted free agent this summer but publicly expressed a desire to leave Sacramento Kings. While Kings can still match Golden State’s offer and keep Cauley-Stein on their roster, they are expected to go with the player’s wishes.
During 81 games he played with the Kings in the past regular season, Cauley-Stein averaged 11.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
After losing Kevin Durant to free agency and Klay Thompson to ACL injury, Warriors were facing with a challenging 2019/20 NBA season. Still, the organization bounced back by signing All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell a few days ago. Keeping Looney and getting Willie Cauley-Stein on the cheap now assures them that they will remain a competitive force in the West for years to come.
