A longtime backbone of the Golden State Warriors has decided to move on.
Veteran Warriors big man Kevon Looney is signing with the New Orleans Pelicans as a free agent, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday. Looney is joining Golden State on a two-year, $16 million deal.
The departure of Looney from Golden State truly marks the end of an era. He had been with the Warriors for his entire NBA career since being drafted by them in 2015. Looney won three championships with Golden State (in 2017, 2018, and 2022) and was one of their most beloved dirty-work role players.
Though he only stands 6-foot-9, Looney was able to impact games for the Warriors in a variety of ways, especially with his defense and rebounding. Looney was also remarkably durable for Golden State, appearing in 74 or more games in each of the last four seasons.
But now at 29 years old, Looney is getting a decent payday to join the Pelicans and play for head coach Willie Green (a former Warriors assistant). He averaged an underwhelming 4.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for Golden State last season but will now get an opportunity to compete for starting center in New Orleans with second-year Yves Missi and rookie Derik Queen.
Looney’s contributions to the Warriors over the years were pivotal, and some leading figures on the team have even called for Looney’s jersey to be retired. Now the UCLA product will be launching the next chapter of his career elsewhere in the Western Conference with the Pelicans.
