Reflecting on Kevon Looney’s Departure: How Does the Move Affect Both Himself and His Now Former Team?
In what has been a relatively uneventful offseason for the Warriors outside of the NBA Draft. There have been a few rumors of potential signings here and there. Otherwise, the Bay Area has stayed quiet throughout the summer. The most significant piece of news came on June 30th, when the New Orleans Pelicans announced they had just signed free agent and former Warriors center Kevon Looney to a two-year deal.
Golden State has now lost its truest center, in a move that should come to not many fans’ surprise. As the Warriors returned to a small-ball lineup this past season, Looney fell out of favor and down the depth chart. Doing himself a service, he chose to pursue other options in free agency and ultimately landed in NOLA. So, where does this decision leave both parties?
For the 29-year-old veteran, this is pretty obvious. He’ll get another opportunity to be a starting center in the NBA with a young group that is still trying to find its footing. At the same time, he will bring a championship DNA that will prove invaluable in meshing together this new-look Pelicans team. In what’s also a full circle moment, Looney will be reunited with former Warriors teammate Jordan Poole, with whom he won an NBA title back in 2022.
The other side of this story is a little more complicated than that. Or is it? Yes, Looney was by far the best rebounder on this team. Yet, last season, he was offensively inconsistent, and though he’s typically a more-than-capable defender, he at times looked like a traffic cone on defense.
Quinten Post came in as a rookie last year and simply outperformed Looney, forcing Steve Kerr’s hand to give him more minutes over the veteran. The Warriors must think that Post is able to provide a larger toolset than the three-time champion. Otherwise, they would not have let Looney walk. So, given the current identity of the team, combined with Post’s arrival, I actually think the Warriors would be totally fine.
With that said, I believe they need to add another big man to improve the size of this team. OKC won the 2025 championship in part due to its versatility. When you throw multiple looks at a defense, you force them to quickly adjust and abandon their initial game plan. Plus, this is exactly what Golden State needs. Far too often against Minnesota, the Warriors felt predictable and incapable of switching gears. However, there are better versions of Looney out there. Although he had valuable moments in all three championship-winning runs, his time was up, and Warriors fans shouldn’t shed too many tears about it.
