NBA NEWS: The NBA Has suspended Golden State Warriors Big Shooting Guard and 4X Finals MVP Steph Curry For for 29-Games for Violating the Leagues Anti-Drug Policy by Unknowingly taking a substance called tramadol and he is banned due to..Read more…..

.

.

.

Warriors Star Makes Big Decision Ahead of Free Agency..

Golden State Warriors veteran center Kevon Looney made a life-changing decision ahead of his NBA free agency.

Four days after Valentine’s Day, Looney announced on his Instagram that he has proposed to his longtime girlfriend Mariah Simone.

“❤️💍 To Our Love, Always And Forever 💍❤️,” the Warriors center said in the caption of a nine-photo carousel documenting his marriage proposal to the fitness model and influencer.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Kevon Looney (@looney)Looney and Simone have been dating for more than five years.

Simone is the founder of Msfit, a clothing brand that just celebrated its fifth anniversary last January.

Kevon Looney Proving He’s a Keeper This Season
Looney, a key member of the Warriors’ last three championship teams is facing an unknown future in his basketball career. The 29-year-old center is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. His three-year, $22.5 million contract he signed after the Warriors’ last championship run in 2022 will expire after this season.

Looney’s role was greatly diminished last season with the emergence of then-rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis and the Warriors leaning to small-ball lineups with Draymond Green as the center. He was on the trade block last season when the Warriors were shopping for center upgrade. His streak of 290 games played, the second-longest in the league came to an end, late last season as Jackson-Davis took over his role.

Looney has since recovered his spot in Steve Kerr’s rotation this season.

The veteran center is the Warriors’ top rebounder this season, averaging 6.9 per game, despite not starting. He has cemented his role with his toughness and on-court production: 5.0 points, 1.9 assists and nearly one steal per game in 16.1 minutes.

Michael Scotto of Hoopshype reported in December that Looney drew exploratory trade interest from the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Memphis Grizzlies in the offseason.

Retaining Kevon Looney
Retaining Looney beyond this season will be important for the Warriors not only because he’s part of the fabric of their championship culture but also because of their rising payroll.

The Warriors have a big decision to make on Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency.

After acquiring Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, the Warriors signed the 35-year-old six-time NBA All-Star to a two-year, $111 million extension.

They will owe the aging trio of Stephen Curry, Butler and Green roughly $140 million next season. That number bumps up to $166 million with the guaranteed salaries of Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

According to Slater, the projected luxury-tax line next season is $187.9 million while the first-apron threshold is $195.9 million and second-apron limit is $207.8 million.

That would leave the Warriors about $41 million to spread on seven more players to go under the dreaded second apron.

Kuminga was “aiming for” a $35 million annual salary during their failed extension talks in the offseason, according to Slater. If the Warriors give him that, that will only leave them with $6 million wiggle room and the taxpayer midlevel exception which is projected to be at $5.7 million to fill up a 14-man roster.

The Warriors howeve  has Looney’s Bird Rights, that gives them the opportunity to sign him above the salary cap. But Looney has to wait until the Warriors make all their offseason moves before they could sign him, which also leaves them vulnerable to losing him to another team which will offer guaranteed money right away. Starting a family could push Looney to seek greener pastures outside the Bay area.