"I knew it would be somebody like that ": Kevon Looney wasn't surprised at Jimmy Butler acquisition, speaks on team chemistry and more (Exclusive)

The Golden State Warriors’ valued role player has both fueled championship runs and weathered underachieving seasons.

Kevon Looney experienced enduring uncertainty on his future seemingly leading into most trade deadlines and offseasons, but has still remained standing.

Under that construct, Looney seemed to be the most appropriate to talk to regarding the state of the Warriors.

Looney spoke with Sportskeeda more about Jimmy Butler’s fit with the Warriors, his potential fit with Curry and Green, Kevin Durant’s disinterest in a reunion, surviving another round of trade rumors and if he’ll try Butler’s famous coffee.

The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.

What was the trade deadline like for you?

Looney: “This time of the year, every day was shocking. This was probably the most eventful trade deadline that I’ve been in from the standpoint of things going on around the league and internally. Since I’ve been here, we haven’t really made a lot of trades. So to be involved in it was surreal.”

Were you surprised you all landed Butler considering the speculation that he wanted to go to Phoenix?

Looney: “I wouldn’t say it was surprising. Maybe the names. When you start seeing KD [Kevin Durant], that was shocking. Seeing Draymond [Green] in trade rumors was kind of shocking. But besides seeing myself and other guys, you kind of expected it when you’re not starting off so great. We had a great start and then have been struggling since. This franchise wants to win. So we knew something might happen.”

Were you surprised about getting Jimmy, specifically?

Looney: “Yeah, at first. Once you start seeing the names, though, you’re trying to get better and there are not a lot of guys that are better in the league. So since he’s only one of the few guys out there that are better, the more accomplishment for him. I knew it would be somebody like that in that tier.”

What do you all think you can do now that you have Jimmy, but you lost Wiggs?

Looney: “Yeah, that sucked. But Jimmy is a hell of a player. He’s great wherever he has been. Individually, he has a way of elevating the group. He’s able to elevate guys that you wouldn’t think are great because they play well next to him. I’m excited to play with him and see how he is and get to experience it. I know that he’s tough as nails. I love playing with guys like that. I’m excited to see how it goes.”

Why do you think it can be a good fit?

Looney: “I feel like with his basketball IQ. And the way Miami kind of play similar to us in a sense that Duncan [Robinson[ and Tyler [Herro] were coming off a lot of screens and he was facilitating and was able to take over at the end of games. He’s used to playing in that style and that type of motion offense. Plus, he can get a bucket whenever he wants to. He gets to the free-throw line. He gets to the rim. Those are a lot of areas that we struggle at, and he excels at them. So it’ll be a good balance for us.”

How do you think Jimmy will make things easier for Steph and Draymond, and vice versa?

Looney: “Just another ball handler and another guy that knows how to win. He’s somebody that can control the group and make things happen. He holds guys accountable. So he’ll be another fresh voice here. It’ll be great to have. He’s a guy who wants to win. That’s all it is about. We have different type of guys with different type of approaches. But as long as winning is the goal, they always fit in.”

I gather you view his fallout in Miami as more circumstantial that only applies to them?

Looney: “Yeah. When it comes to contracts and all that stuff, that’s never usually players. Every guy that I ever talked to about him always loved playing with him. Now I don’t know what coaches and front offices might think. But we don’t care about what they think. We care about what players feel. I know when he’s locked in, his guys usually compete for him.”

I also read Wiggs spoke highly of him when you talked to him, too.

Looney: “Yeah, he did. Anytime anything bad came up about Jimmy, Wiggs would say, ‘Nah, he’s a good dude.’ Wiggs don’t speak up about people like that. So I know if he puts his stamp on it, then I know he’ll be a good dude.”

What do you think the practice battles will be like with Jimmy and Draymond?

Looney: (laughs). “At this time of year, we might not have too many problems. We’ll probably have to wait until next season to see how those battles look. But I think it’s going to be fun. I know he’s a competitive guy. He’s a guy that likes to chirp. So it’s good to have another voice out there. Usually it’s just Draymond and me talking on the court now. Adding him to the mix will be a lot of fun.”

What insults do you expect?

Looney: (laughs). “We’re going to see. They’re going to be fresh. It’s going to be fun. I’m excited to see the level of competition that he brings to our group.”

What was your reaction when you learned Durant didn’t want to reunite?

Looney: “I wasn’t shocked. He left the first time for a reason. I assumed he wouldn’t want to go backwards. I wasn’t shocked. I wasn’t sure how true it was and if it was real or not. But I didn’t want to see Draymond or myself or a lot of guys go. I knew if he was coming, then probably everybody is going to go because it’s KD. You never know. During those times, ‘You’re thinking, am I going to be in this?’ Am I going to be going?’ That’s how I was thinking.”

How did you try to manage these past few days of uncertainty? Given that you’re a valued player and if they’re going to make a move, they’re going to have to give some assets up.

Looney: “You just try to stay as informed as possible, stay professional and stay ready for anything. That’s all you can really do. It’s always nerve-wracking. You always tell yourself that if someone traded for you that it means you have a value for something. But you also are sticking to stay. You play for an organization that you know that has been great to you and is about winning. This is one of the best organizations in the league.”

Have you gotten used to going through this every year?

Looney: “I feel like each year, it’s gotten more nerve-wracking. But it’s still coming. I know around this time that my name will come up. But I always find a way to be here (laughs). It’s always bitter sweet when you have guys that you battled, especially Wiggs. I’ve been with him the last five years. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs. We won a championship (in 2022), and then we sucked for a couple of years. But I loved competing with him a lot. It’s tough to see a guy like that leaving because of how much he wanted to be here. But to bring in somebody like Jimmy, who’s been All-NBA since he led a team to the Finals with a different group, adding him to our mix is going to be exciting and interesting.”

The Warriors had to give up some significant people like you said. But they didn’t mortgage the future. How do you view that?

Looney: “For me, I don’t really get into all of that. I just try to see if I’m going to be here and my future. I’m a future free agent so I don’t know if I’m part of the future. So I can’t even think about stuff like that.”

So looking at the big picture then, what’s your view on whether you all can make a run at it now?

Looney: “It’s the fact that we’re in all of these games. We’re always so close, but we beat ourselves a lot. This year, we’ve been struggling with closing games and different things like that. When you have a guy that is known closer, that helps us in all areas that we’ve been struggling. We feel like we’re really close to being where we want to be. We just have to get over that hump.

I feel like Jimmy is that guy that can help us get over that hump. We don’t feel like we’re so far away. When we play against the best teams, we’re always right there and we beat a lot of them. It’s just about the fact on can we win in the margins and not beat ourselves a lot. I think on that front, Jimmy helps a lot.”

On that note, what did you observe from afar on how Jimmy carried the Heat to the Finals as a fifth seed in the bubble [in 2020] and then three years later as an eighth seed?

Looney: “It was the way he was able to elevate himself and the way he was able to elevate the guys around him. That shows how much of a leader and great teammate is when guys are able to compete with him and they believe. Even if the outside doesn’t believe that you’re the most talented, he’s got them believing that they’re great and that they can beat anybody. We feel that way with our group. You add somebody that has been there, is accomplished and motivated, I think it’s going to add to our confidence and add to our toughness. I think that’s what we need.”

Are you much of a coffee drinker?

Looney: “I am. I never had his, though, so we’ll see what he got. He’s got to give me a discount, though. I can’t be paying that full retail price!”

What’s a reasonable price?

Looney: “Man, Starbucks price.”

They raised the prices, too!

Looney: “Yeah, well I have to at least try the first one for free. I got to have a free sample. He’s new here.”

What’s your spending limit after that?

Looney: “If it’s good, I’ll pay his full price. But I need to test it first.”

What do you like?

Looney: “It depends on the day. I’m a latte guy. But I drink black, too. I’m going to try all different ones. I’m going to start black. Then I’ll know if it’s good or not.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.