Ranking the best bargain contracts in the NBA this season

NBA Bargains: Kevon Looney

Prorated salary: $2.1M

Win Shares: 2.1 (equivalent to $7.7M, assuming $3.7M as a baseline)

Excess value added: $5.6M

Next up, another big: Kevon Looney. Last year’s playoff darling is a common name on this list when looking at historical data, too. Turns out that sharing the court with Steph Curry is helpful for piling up advanced stats.

But being Steph’s teammate isn’t as easy as you might think, as Marcus Thompson detailed a few days ago. Looney deserves credit for his heady passing (3.0 assists per game, a fantastic rate for a low-usage big man) and step-ahead defense. He’s one of the most intelligent men on a roster filled with high-IQ players, and his read-and-react abilities are essential to the Warriors’ whirring, wheeling offense.

Kevon’s six points, seven rebounds, and paltry defensive playmaking won’t turn anyone’s heads, but he’s not out there to accumulate any numbers except the one beside the “W.” His screening is his most underrated ability; like an NFL lineman grabbing on every play, Looney operates under the principle that if he sets a moving screen every time, the refs will only call the most egregious fouls.

And because he sets more off-ball picks than most bigs, the zebras are even less likely to notice him plowing through would-be defenders. It works like a charm. Looney is a bit tricky to evaluate because, like Draymond Green, he’s in the best possible situation for his talents. It’s hard to imagine him having as much success elsewhere, but he shouldn’t be penalized for making the most of his chances.

He’s a Kerr favorite, and despite the fact he feels like he’s been around forever, he’s still just 26 years old. There’s a chance that Kevon sticks on this team longer than anyone, doing the little things that contribute to winning as the Warriors transition into the Next Timeline.