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The Phoenix Suns need to improve their center rotation this summer, but as we’ve seen from our hypothetical Jusuf Nurkic trades, it may not be as easy as it sounds.
As a second tax apron team, the Suns can’t take back more salary than they send out in any trade, and they also can’t aggregate outgoing contracts to trade for a higher-salaried player. So if they traded Nurk, they’d have to find a suitor that would want him and also be willing to send Phoenix a better center who makes less than his $18.2 million. Oh, and the Suns will only have this year’s No. 22 overall pick and their 2031 first-rounder to offer as sweeteners.
There simply aren’t a lot of trade partners that can check all those boxes! More than likely, trading Nurkic would be for an upgrade on the wing. The Suns need help there, but if they moved Nurk for such a player, they would then have to work out another subsequent deal to plug up their new hole at the 5. Nassir Little and David Roddy trades can only do so much, and Grayson Allen isn’t trade-eligible until Oct. 15.
So what does that mean? Barring some real creativity from the front office, Nurk will be the Suns’ starting center to begin the 2024-25 NBA season, and Phoenix will have to settle for finding depth behind the Bosnian Beast.
To be fair, Nurkic was nowhere near as bad as he’s been portrayed. The Suns outscored their opponents by 9.2 points per 100 possessions with Nurk on the floor this season (the second-best mark on the team behind only Royce O’Neale) and were outscored by 3.8 points per 100 possessions whenever he sat (trailing only their -4.1 Net Rating whenever O’Neale sat).
Nurkic helped in several key areas where he doesn’t get enough credit. According to The BBall Index, he ranked in the NBA’s 97th percentile in screen assists per 75 possessions, helping free up the Big 3 with bone-crunching picks. Nurk was an elite rebounder on both ends, ranking in the 88th percentile and 98th percentile in offensive and defensive rebounds per 75 possessions, respectively, all while leading the league in boxouts.
Despite his unavoidable defensive flaws, Nurk was engaged around the rim, holding opponents to 8.6 percent worse shooting at the basket than they’d normally shoot. He contested the 14th-most shots at the rim in the league, and posted the 13th-best defensive field goal percentage among all players who contested at least 300 shots at the rim.
In the playoffs, however, he became unplayable. It was a major disappointment considering the Minnesota Timberwolves were one of the few teams in the West that he — on paper, at least — should’ve been able to stay on the court against. By the end of that first-round sweep, Phoenix had gone completely small, reinforcing a quiet takeaway from those impressive on/off-court numbers: The Suns had zero reliable options behind Jusuf Nurkic at the 5.
Bearing all that in mind, the Suns need to be on the hunt for backup centers who can log heavier minutes in those matchups where Nurkic’s lack of defensive mobility and poor finishing around the rim become glaring issues again. They should target more athletic, rim-running bigs; bigs who can protect the rim and be somewhat switchable on the perimeter; and bigs who can stretch the court offensively.
We’ve already covered some potential Suns draft targets at the center position, so today we’re turning our attention back to free agents. Unlike our 20 pie-in-the-sky targets, these names stand a better chance of being attainable at the veteran minimum, which is all the Suns have to offer outside free agents this summer.
Here are the top 15 bigs Phoenix should target in 2024 NBA free agency.
Honorable Mentions: Richaun Holmes ($12.9 million player option), Thomas Bryant ($2.8 million player option), Luka Garza, Boban Marjanovic
Experienced vets who won’t move the needle for Suns:
15. JaVale McGee
As Suns fans learned during his one season in the Valley, JaVale McGee is a per 36 minutes god who plays above the rim as a persistent lob threat and shot-blocker on the other end. Even in his 16th season last year, he held opponents to 10.7 percent worse shooting at the rim, ranking in the 95th percentile in blocks per 75 possessions.
Offensively, he’s the type of screen-setting, athletic rim-runner the Suns need. McGee placed in the 87th percentile in screen assists per 75 possessions and shot 72.2 percent at the rim as one of the game’s most efficient cutters.
However, as good as all the advanced metrics look, they came in extremely limited minutes for the Sacramento Kings. He averaged just 7.4 minutes a night in his 46 games last year, and the season prior with the Dallas Mavericks, he played just 8.5 minutes a night in 42 appearances. That’s probably who McGee is at age 36: A low-usage, third-string, break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option.
There’s good reason for it, given how he struggles to stay on the floor when teams start targeting him in pick-and-rolls. The Suns should aim higher in rounding out their center rotation (especially if Drew Eubanks opts in).
14. DeAndre Jordan
Update: According to Chris B. Haynes, Jordan has agreed to re-sign with the Nuggets on a one-year, $3.6 million deal.
Even approaching his 36th birthday in July, Jordan could help the Suns in the pick-and-roll. NBA.com placed him in the 98th percentile in points per possession as the roll man, with Jordan shooting 82.8 percent on those plays and scoring 81.3 percent of the time in those scenarios. He was also fifth in screen assists per 36 minutes.
But much like McGee, those impressive numbers stemmed from a tiny sample size. He was only involved in 32 possessions as the roll man all season, and he only logged 11.0 minutes a night in 36 appearances for the Denver Nuggets. Those non-Nikola Jokic minutes were a disaster all season, and Jordan was replaced by Zeke Nnaji in the rotation at various points.
The Nuggets were outscored by 10.7 points per 100 possessions when Jordan was on the court this season, and in the playoffs, he was a -20 in just 13 minutes of action. Opponents had a field day against his plodding feet and subpar interior defense, so despite his finishing ability and work on the offensive glass, this isn’t the right way to go.
13. Alex Len
Update: According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Len will return to the Kings on a one-year, $3.3 million deal.
Len will only turn 31 next week, but regardless of his draft history with Phoenix as their former No. 5 overall pick, this is an underwhelming fallback option. The 7-footer only managed 2.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.7 blocks in his 9.3 minutes per game for the Kings this season.
As a third-string option, Len wouldn’t be terrible. He shot 69.6 percent at the rim and held opponents to 8.6 percent worse shooting at the rim on the other end. Len was also third in the entire league in screen assists per 36 minutes, which would help whenever sharing the court with the Big 3.
Again, though, Phoenix should aim higher than a guy who wasn’t even averaging double-digit minutes on a team that missed the playoffs.
Small-ball options:
12. Kevin Love
Update: Love declined his player option, but he and the Heat have reportedly agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal.
Kevin Love is probably the only guy on the list who’s actually a true 4 rather than a small-ball 5, but the Suns could use some depth! Even at age 35, Love was still a capable role player for the Miami Heat, putting up 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 16.8 minutes per game. The Suns would love that type of consistent production out of anyone coming off the bench.
Love is not a rim protector or a particularly switchable big, but he’s a committed rebounder and a regular pick-and-pop threat, which might be enough to justify 10 or so minutes a night with the second unit. He only shot 34.4 percent from 3-point range last year, but Love ranked in the 43rd percentile in openness rating on those shots. That number would undoubtedly improve in Phoenix.
The problem — aside from Love not really being a small-ball 5 — is Love has a $4 million player option to stay in Miami. It’d make more sense for him to just opt in and stay there rather than take less money to leave South Beach.
11. Thaddeus Young
Based on how his brief Suns tenure went, it’d be somewhat surprising if Thad Young chose to stay in Phoenix. He played a grand total of 89 minutes over 10 appearances under Frank Vogel, but perhaps the switch to Mike Budenholzer might convince him to give the Valley another go.
If he did re-sign, Young would do little to address the Suns’ need for above-the-rim athleticism. He did shoot a tidy 66.3 percent at the rim, but on the other end, opponents shot 4.8 percent better than usual at the rim whenever Young was contesting.
However, the soon-to-be 36-year-old would automatically be the Suns’ best playmaker in the short roll. He’s not going to score a ton himself (and the numbers back that up), but he did place in the 90th percentile in role-adjusted assist points per 75 possessions. That connectivity can keep the offense humming rather than grinding to a halt whenever Devin Booker, Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal get blitzed in pick-and-roll situations.
Young has more to offer Phoenix than he got to showcase this season, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he looks elsewhere for his next opportunity.
10. Dario Saric
This is not just a case of nostalgia for former Suns! Saric was legitimately good for the Golden State Warriors last year, putting up 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his 17.2 minutes per game. He only shot 46.6 percent from the floor, but made 37.6 percent of his 3s while attempting 3.1 per game.
Saric had his healthiest season in recent memory, playing in 66 games for the Dubs. Despite being more of a 4/small-ball 5, he was effective around the basket on both ends. The Homie shot 70.6 percent at the rim, and he also held opponents to 6.6 percent worse shooting at the rim on the other end.
It came on more limited volume, sure, but he was an active rim protector when he was on the floor, ranking 11th in the league in rim contests per 75 possessions. He’s obviously not some elite shot-blocker, but Saric remains a reliable positional defender, and the Suns wouldn’t need him to be their designated backup 5 all the time anyway.
Throw in the secondary playmaking as a guy who ranked in the 89th percentile in drive assist rate, and Saric is too well-rounded to overlook. Between his passing, basketball IQ and shooting ability, Saric could be a decent change-of-pace option at the 5 whenever Mike Budenholzer wanted to throw a different look out there. Golden State does own his Bird rights, however, so that may be enough to prevent a potential reunion in the Valley.
Intriguing but flawed backups:
9. Mo Bamba
Update: According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Bamba has agreed to a one-year deal with the LA Clippers.
As you may have noticed, the first six options on our list have all been 30 years or older. Experience and established talent are welcome on this Suns roster, but the front office also needs to find ways to inject youth and energy into this group as well.
Enter Mo Bamba, a 26-year-old project who has yet to live up to his lofty draft position as the former sixth overall pick. This 7-footer is far from perfect, but he does have the physical tools to be worth a look, even if he’d be something of a Bol Bol-esque flier at the center spot.
Last year in 57 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, Bamba averaged 4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in his 13.0 minutes a night. He shot 49 percent overall, and intriguingly enough, made 39.1 percent of his 3s. He only attempted 1.1 a night, but he’s been shooting them for long enough to believe it could be a more stable part of his game in the near future.
In fairness to most of these other candidates, the appeal of Bamba is that he could be molded into something far more potent than what he currently is. As a rim-running threat, he only shot 58.9 percent at the rim this year (just barely above Nurk’s 58.5 percent mark).
As a rim protector, Bamba only held opponents to 1.6 percent worse shooting at the basket. As a pick-and-roll partner, he ranked in the 25th percentile in points per possession as a roll man, only scoring 38.5 percent of the time and shooting just 40.4 percent from the field in those situations.
However, Bamba would also bring a measure of size and athleticism to the table, and he can free up the Big 3 well enough, ranking in the 88th percentile in screen assists per 75 possessions. He was active on the offensive glass as well, ranking in the NBA’s top 20 among qualified players in terms of frequency of put-back possessions.
The Sixers don’t own Bamba’s Bird rights, but they do have enough cap space to bring him back for more than the vet minimum if they still hold interest in him. More than likely, though, a veteran minimum deal feels closer to his current value, and even if Bol stays, you can never have too many 7-footers to develop.
8. Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo technically qualifies as one of our “small-ball options” since he’s only 6-foot-8, but he’s always played a lot bigger — and way more athletic — than his listed size. Even as he approaches his 32nd birthday this fall, there should be little doubt about the superb physical condition he keeps his body in.
Last year was a bit of a mixed bag for Bizzy. For the injury-ravaged Memphis Grizzlies, he was terrific, putting up 5.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 blocks in 23.9 minutes per game. After getting cut and ultimately signing on with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Biyombo failed to carve out a spot in the rotation, averaging 7.3 minutes a night over 10 appearances there.
However, before he joined OKC, a Suns reunion was in consideration, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility they make it happen this time around. Biyombo is a terrific rim deterrent and a historically underrated shot-blocker, holding opponents to 5.3 percent worse shooting at the basket while placing in the 93rd percentile in percentage of rim shots contested. Had he joined the Suns last year, he would’ve automatically been their most mobile center, and the only one with a shot at defending in space.
Biyombo isn’t without his flaws, of course. Aside from being slightly undersized, his offensive repertoire is more limited. He shot 48 percent from the free-throw line, and that hook shot in the paint is always an adventure.
Still, he’s a familiar face and provides better rim protection than most of the other names on this list. In a third-string role, Biyombo could fit the bill depending on how Phoenix fills out the rest of the roster.
7. Xavier Tillman
Update: According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Tillman has agreed to re-sign with the Boston Celtics on a two-year deal.
Speaking of undersized centers, Xavier Tillman — who is listed at 6-foot-7 — would be an understated but terrific pickup for the Suns on the defensive side of the ball. Make no mistake about it: He might be the best and most versatile defender on this entire list.
In terms of protecting the basket, Tillman and his 7-foot-2 wingspan held opponents to 8.7 percent worse shooting at the rim this season. When it comes to switchability, Tillman’s perimeter footwork on switches is impeccable. You don’t see too many bigs who are quick enough to make this play so naturally:
You also don’t see too many bigs capable of sticking with Devin Booker on an island like this!
True enough, Tillman’s role with the Boston Celtics has fluctuated throughout the playoffs, but that’s more a byproduct of how underrated Luke Kornet is and how Boston has the deepest roster in basketball.
Just look at how Tillman (and Kornet!) checked out as guys who routinely contested shots at the rim and effectively got their man to shoot a lower percentage there:
The problem is, as good as Tillman is defensively, he has some problematic flaws on the offensive end. In 54 games between the Celtics and Grizzlies this year, the 25-year-old shot just 43.4 percent overall, including 24.7 percent from 3 and 44 percent from the foul line.
Those numbers are putrid, especially when one considers he was taking 1.5 3s a game and shot just 57.5 percent at the rim. In fairness, his field goal percentage skyrocketed by nearly 11 percentage points once he left Memphis for a team with more threats to take the attention off Tillman, but even then, he still only shot 51.5 percent overall.
As a roll man in the pick-and-roll, NBA.com placed him in the sixth percentile in points per possession in Memphis, with Tillman shooting 35 percent in those situations. As you’ll notice in several of these scatterplots moving forward, Tillman consistently ranks near the bottom whenever the offensive end is involved:
At the same time, as detrimental as Tillman’s poor finishing would be, he’s quite possibly the best defensive big on this list. His screen assists took a leap playing with more competent scorers in Boston, and more than likely, he’s the type of player whose complementary skills shine a lot brighter when he’s got exceptional firepower around him. The Suns fit that category.
Boston is on the verge of winning it all and could very well bring him back using his Bird rights. But if they don’t and Phoenix wants a younger small-ball option they can turn to when they need stops, this is a backup (or even third-string) option that shouldn’t be overlooked.
6. Mason Plumlee
Update: According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Plumlee has agreed to a one-year deal with the Suns. For more info, read here.
Mason Plumlee was sidelined by a sprained MCL for about two months in the middle of the season, which undoubtedly impacted his production. Well, that and the LA Clippers signing another quality backup in Daniel Theis once Plumlee went down.
In any case, Plumlee’s numbers dropped to 5.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.7 minutes per game on 56.9 percent shooting overall. He made 70.7 percent of his free throws, but with both Plumlee and Theis hitting free agency this summer, it feels like the Clippers would be wise to commit to one or the other.
Plumlee got the nod in the playoffs, while Theis was relegated to garbage time. But if the Clippers somehow choose Theis (or someone else) over Plumlee, he’d be worth a look for the Suns. Why? Mason Plumlee is one of the most committed rim contesters in the league. In fact, on a per 75 possessions basis, no one contested more shots at the rim than him:
Okay, so he’s obviously not the best rim protector, but holding opponents to 6.2 percent worse shooting at the rim while contesting that many shots is still pretty impressive.
Offensively, Plumlee’s 64.2 percent shooting at the rim won’t blow anyone away, but he ranked in the 66th percentile in points per possession as the roll man. He also has decent passing chops, with The BBall Index placing him in the 88th percentile in passing creation quality.
Plumlee turned 34 in March and the Clippers can use his Bird rights to re-sign him, but if he hits the open market, he’s worth a look. Then again, Plumlee taking a vet minimum deal might be a tad optimistic.
5. Luke Kornet
Update: The Celtics will reportedly bring back Kornet on a one-year deal.
There’s a good chance Kornet’s advanced numbers look so absurdly good because of the team he plays for, but in order to be a rotation player on this Celtics squad, you have to be good at something. This soon-to-be 29-year-old brings plenty to the table that Phoenix would appreciate.
Kornet’s 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks per game don’t sound like much, but they came in only 15.6 minutes per game, and it was all while doing the type of dirty work that the Suns would need.
Rim protection? Kornet held opponents to 8.4 percent worse shooting at the rim than they’d normally shoot. Efficiency? Kornet shot 70 percent from the field, including 73.4 percent at the rim and 90.7 percent from the foul line. Sturdy screens and rim-running? Kornet ranked in the 89th percentile in screen assists per 75 possessions and the 96th percentile in points per possession as the roll man.
Throw in his efficiency in cuts and dump-offs and you’re talking about a limited player filling his backup role far better than expected:
Kornet’s efficiency needs to be taken with a grain of salt, since he played for the best team in the NBA. Boston’s tenacious perimeter and wing defenders made guarding the rim a lot easier, and offensively, all those 3s opened things up in the middle.
To that point, The BBall Index notes that Kornet ranked in the 97th percentile in shot quality at the rim — a number that could very well drop in Phoenix. For reference, Nurkic ranked in the 77th percentile in that same category.
However, at 7-foot-1, Kornet would bring some added size, rim protection and finishing ability in the paint. The Celtics could very well use his Bird rights to re-sign him this summer, but if not, his screen-setting could help free up Phoenix’s Big 3. Also, the “Kornet Kontest” is one of the best sources of in-game levity the NBA has to offer:
The cream of the crop
4. Daniel Theis
Theis lasted one game with the Indiana Pacers before getting bought out and joining the Clippers to help fill in for the injured Mason Plumlee. He did his job well, averaging 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.9 blocks in 16.9 minutes per game, even knocking down 37.1 percent of his 3s.
The 32-year-old only attempted 1.2 3s per game, but it was the first time since the 2018-19 season that he was regularly taking and making them again. That could be valuable in Budenholzer’s system, especially when paired with Theis’ defensive toughness and switchability.
Theis is slightly undersized at 6-foot-8, which helps account for opponents only shooting 2.5 percent worse at the rim when he was contesting. Despite that, Theis ranked in the 91st percentile in block rate on contests, which was pretty good since he also ranked 23rd in the entire league in contests per 75 possessions.
Offensively, Theis shot a ho-hum 65.4 percent at the rim and was near the middle of the pack in points per possession as a roll man. The hope would be for the Big 3 and shooters like Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale to open things up for him on the interior while enjoying a more capable defensive big on the other end.
3. Andre Drummond
Update: According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Drummond has agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
In terms of durability, nobody on this list has Andre Drummond beat. He played 79 games for the Chicago Bulls last year, averaging a healthy 17.1 minutes per game off the bench. Drummond was also super productive in those minutes, racking up 8.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks on a nightly basis.
As he approaches his 31st birthday in August, the 6-foot-11, 279-pound Drummond is more ground-bound than he used to be. He can still serve as a deterrent at the rim in his reserve role, holding opponents to 3.2 percent worse shooting than they’d normally shoot there, but it clearly wasn’t his strongest suit compared to most of the other names on our list:
Even so, Drummond is elite on the offensive glass, ranking fifth in the NBA among qualified players in offensive rebounds per game. He was also third in the league in frequency of put-back possessions,
Offensively, Drummond isn’t the most efficient guy. He shot 55.6 percent overall, 58.5 percent at the rim and 59.2 percent from the free-throw line. Those deficiencies could make him a liability on a team like Phoenix.
But he was also surprisingly effective in the pick-and-roll for a guy who struggled with finishing. He scored on 67.7 percent of his possessions as a roll man this season, ranking in the 76th percentile in points per possession on those plays. Throw in his 93rd percentile rating for screen assists per 75 possessions, and his fit with the Suns starts to come together:
The Bulls have Drummond’s early Bird rights, which means they can offer him up to 175 percent of his previous salary or 105 percent of the league-average salary from 2023-24, whichever is greater. That deal would have to be for a minimum of two years, so Chicago would have to be more committed to keeping him than the standard one-year vet minimum agreement.
That’s where Phoenix might potentially never get a shot at bringing him on board, but the reasons the Suns could be interested are clear. Drummond is a high-end backup who can be productive in limited minutes, set good screens and throw people around on the glass. Having that level of toughness and physicality behind Nurkic certainly wouldn’t hurt.
2. Goga Bitadze
Update: According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Magic have agreed to re-sign Bitadze to a three-year, $25 million deal.
At a certain point in December, Goga Bitadze looked like the real deal. Filling in for an injured Wendell Carter Jr., Bitadze quietly blossomed as one of the most underrated centers in the league. In his first 20 starts, the 24-year-old put up 8.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 blocks per game on 58.8 percent shooting, all while holding opponents to 11.7 percent worse shooting at the rim. It was all coming together.
But once Carter and Moritz Wagner were both healthy, Bitadze’s opportunities with the Orlando Magic fluctuated. He wound up averaging just 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 blocks in his 15.4 minutes per game this year, and although he shot 60.3 percent overall, his rim protection numbers took a nosedive, with opponents only shooting 1.7 percent worse against him by season’s end.
But Bitadze also ranked in the 93rd percentile in percentage of rim shots contested while ranking in the 96th percentile in block rate on contests, so it’s not like he wasn’t trying. Even if he isn’t good enough to come in and usurp Nurkic for the starting role, a more stable backup gig might be good for him, especially if it came on a veteran team with more established talent.
Bitadze could certainly help this group. He shot 66.7 percent at the rim and ranked in the 91st percentile in screen assists per 75 possessions. He also knows how to keep the ball moving, ranking in the 89th percentile in drive assist rate and the 93rd percentile in passing creation quality.
If he could get his rim protection numbers back up and shore up his free-throw shooting (65.5 percent), he’d have a shot of providing some impact minutes off the bench — even if his 3-point shot continued to falter as it has throughout his career so far.
The Magic do have Bitadze’s early Bird rights, and since they have a ton of cap room this summer, even a moderate contract extension from Orlando would blow Phoenix’s vet minimum offer out of the water. But if the Magic take too much time targeting loftier names like Paul George and Klay Thompson, maybe there’s an opportunity for the Suns to sneak in and steal one of the better, younger backup bigs hitting the open market.
1. Kevon Looney
Update: The Warriors have reportedly guaranteed Looney’s contract, which effectively rules him out from hitting free agency unless he were traded and then waived by his new team.
Yes, Kevon Looney is technically still under contract. But his $8 million for next season is non-guaranteed, and according to The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, there’s a chance the Warriors simply waive him to cut down on their massive luxury tax bill.
“I think the likeliest situation is that he’s cut, and he makes $3 million from [the Warriors], and he’s off looking for another spot — and there will be another spot for him in this league,” Kawakami said on the Warriors Plus Minus Podcast. “Teams are going to want him, again for a very low number, but they’re going to want him.”
If Golden State does cut Looney to afford more opportunities for Trayce Jackson-Davis while saving some money, he should jump to the very top of Phoenix’s recruiting list.
True enough, Looney’s 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.4 blocks in 16.1 minutes per game this season don’t scream “starting-caliber center.” But part of that is because the Warriors’ new rookie started eating into Looney’s minutes. Whether he supplanted Nurk as the full-time starting center or backed him up until the playoffs, Looney can help the Suns in a playoff setting.
This season, the 28-year-old only held opponents to 3.0 percent worse shooting at the rim, but he remained one of the NBA’s most switchable big men. It was just two seasons ago he was doing the dirty work to help the Warriors win yet another title, holding his own on an island against everyone from Jalen Brunson to James Harden during his peak.
Looney has put on more weight since then, but he can still slide his feet to stick with quicker ball-handlers. At the very least, he’d provide a starting-caliber alternative to Nurkic in any playoff matchups that weren’t favorable to the Bosnian Beast.
Offensively, Looney shot 67.4 percent at the rim this season, and although he only ranked in the 56th percentile in points per possession as a roll man, he was 12th in the league in screen assists per 36 minutes. He’s used to freeing up Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for clean looks, so it’d be a natural transition to doing the same for Booker, Durant and Beal. The dude is pretty elite in this area:
Looney may be a bit limited on the offensive end, but he proved during the Warriors’ title run how valuable second chances can be. His work on the offensive glass was a difference-maker, and he’s still damn good at it, ranking in the top 20 this season among qualified players in frequency of put-back possessions.
If Kevon Looney becomes available, there simply isn’t a better option that could be had in free agency at a vet minimum price tag. Not only would he serve as a high-end backup, but he’s one of the few bigs on this list capable of starting in a playoff setting and holding his own.
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