Zaza Pachulia intent on sticking with Warriors past this season

Nicholas Medrios, 12 of Vallejo slaps hands with Golden State Warriors' Zaza Pachulia before Warriors play Cleveland Cavaliers during NBA game at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, January 16, 2017. Nicholas Medrios, 12 of Vallejo slaps hands with Golden State Warriors' Zaza Pachulia before Warriors play Cleveland Cavaliers during NBA game at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, January 16, 2017. Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Zaza Pachulia intent on sticking with Warriors past this season 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

SACRAMENTO — Zaza Pachulia has experienced the gamut of the NBA: playoff pushes, lengthy losing streaks, solid teammates, bad locker rooms. In his 14th year in the league, he has not enjoyed a season as much as he is relishing his first with the Warriors.

“I don’t want the season to end,” said Pachulia, who is expected to return soon from a right rotator-cuff strain that has sidelined him for Golden State’s past three games. “When people ask me about (free agency) this summer, I say, ‘I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here.’ Even after June, I’m staying here.”

As the season progressed, Pachulia has become more comfortable playing with a cast of All-Stars. He has recorded double-digit points in seven of his past 14 games. Though not a prototypical interior presence like his predecessor, Andrew Bogut, Pachulia is a sound positional defender adept at setting screens, finding the open man and attacking the glass.

He leads Golden State in offensive rebounding (2.1 per game) and total offensive rebounds (94). Among NBA centers with a minimum of 35 games this season, Pachulia has the highest plus-minus (plus-7.2). His 77.3 percent clip from the foul line is well above the league average for centers. Per 36 minutes, Pachulia is averaging 11.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals.

“Zaza’s been great for us,” head coach Steve Kerr said last month. “He gives us a real toughness down low, and he’s great working off his teammates. I’ve been really impressed.”

Though he has missed seven games this season with minor injuries, the 32-year-old reckons he has a handful of years left as an NBA contributor. The Warriors could be hard-pressed to sign a better big man this summer than Pachulia, who is on a one-year, $2.9 million deal.

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Under the new collective bargaining agreement, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant can re-sign with Golden State for contracts starting at $36 million next season. That hurts the front office’s chances of keeping a team intact that also has Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, JaVale McGee, Ian Clark, James Michael McAdoo and David West set to become free agents.

Pachulia, who owns two hotels and a fitness center in his native Tbilisi, Georgia, has shown a willingness to prioritize opportunity over money. In July, he spurned lucrative offers to sign with the Warriors for $2.3 million less than he made each of the previous three seasons.

“Winning means so much,” said Pachulia, who has made it past the first round of the playoffs only three times and has not reached a conference finals. “Being around this amazing group of guys, this coaching staff, front office, the fans, it means a lot. This is a huge, huge experience for me.”

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Con_Chron