Who Did Warriors Nearly Replace Looney With?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Dec 13, 2024 11:37 AM ET

Since being selected by the Golden State Warriors in 2015, Kevon Looney has been an integral part of their lineups. An excellent rebounder and defender, he has started and come off the bench for the Warriors, winning three titles in the process.

However, before he became a staple in the Bay, the Warriors thought about replacing him with a former college All-American, who was enjoying a productive NBA career at the time.

In the 2019 offseason, the Warriors needed a center. Looney was a free agent and there wasn't a guarantee that he would re-sign, so the Dubs set their sets on Willie Cauley-Stein, who had averaged 11.9 points and 8.4 rebounds with the Sacramento Kings the year before. According to Cauley-Stein on the Run Your Race podcast, the Warriors were offering him $10 million a year.

"They're like, 'bro, we like you,'" he claimed. "'We got $10 million for you'...let's run it up. I was out on a lake so I didn't have service. By the time I went and got service and made the call, Looney had took the deal."

Cauley-Stein would eventually sign a $2.1 million deal with Golden State and play in 41 games before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Looney, meanwhile, remained in Golden State and will be a free agent again this summer.

Had the Warriors gone with Cauley-Stein as their starting center, his self-admitted drug addiction might have hindered the Warriors' title chances in 2022, although he is fortunately sober now and working on an NBA comeback.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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