Jim Owczarski on the bargains of re-signing Trent, Porter
Bucks reporter Jim Owczarski discusses Milwaukee’s ability to bring back two key players for cheap: Gary Trent Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr.
Two prominent former Milwaukee high-school stars — Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole — are on the move during the NBA’s frenetic free agency, and they’re reuniting with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Milwaukee Hamilton alumnus Looney will sign a two-year deal with the Pelicans according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal, worth $16 million, means he’ll be in a new home for the first time after 10 years with the Golden State Warriors, a tenure that included three championships and four years playing alongside Poole.
Looney’s last contract with the Warriors paid him $22.5 million over three years, at which point the 29-year-old became an unrestricted free agent.
Looney has been a reliable rotation piece for the Warriors, frequently coming off the bench, even though he only averages 5.0 points per game in his career. He averages 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists, and he provides a defensive tenacity that has complemented Golden State’s star power. He’s also been readily available, playing in 82, 82, 74 and 76 games over the past four years.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee King alumnus Poole wound up in New Orleans after a trade that sent him from Washington. The Pelicans reportedly sent CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Wizards for Poole, Saddiq Bey and a second-round pick in the recently completed draft, used to select Georgetown’s Micah Peavy.
In his sixth NBA season, Poole averaged a career-best 20.5 points per game with 4.5 assists in Washington last year, his second year with the franchise. He spent his first four seasons with Golden State, where he developed into a reliable scoring threat. He’s still just 26 years old.
Poole celebrated the news that Looney would be joining him in New Orleans with a message for his fellow Milwaukeean on Instagram.