Warriors Champion Reveals Reason for Leaving Team in Offseason

The newest New Orleans Pelicans center got honest about his departure from the Golden State Warriors

Dec 19, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22), forward Kevon Looney (5), guard Dennis Schroder (71), and guard Stephen Curry (30) wait for play to resume during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans pried Kevon Looney away from the Golden State Warriors this offseason, signing the veteran big man to a two-year, $16 million deal. He had spent all ten years of his NBA career with the Warriors, winning three championships with them in 2017, 2018, and 2022.

It's an interesting move for the Pelicans, but it gives them a veteran on a young team who can help bring along Yves Missi and Derik Queen, two of the Pelicans' most recent first-round picks. But why did Looney leave the Warriors in the first place?

Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) before game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Looney appeared on the "Warriors Plus Minus" podcast, saying he felt kind of unwanted and didn't like his playing time, especially in the playoffs.

"Quinten [Post]’s my guy but it’s anyone but me it seemed like,” Looney said. “It was not one moment. Like, even this year, probably in the playoffs. We're going against Steven Adams [referring to the Houston Rockets series]. This is what I do. They're not giving me the chance to really let me do what I do. It's like, 'alright, y'all don't trust me. I thought y'all would trust me.' They put me in at the end of Game 7.

"Alright. You don’t think I’m that good no more. You get sick of that at some point. You either trust me or you don’t."

Steven Adams was destroying the Warriors on the glass in their first-round matchup, grabbing 23 offensive rebounds in the seven-game series. Looney could've countered that, but he only played about nine minutes per game in that series.

The Pelicans were also able to offer more money than the Warriors, who have yet to make a move in free agency as they wait to resolve Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency. Looney also said he knows how negotiations go in the NBA, but we wanted to be making more than the minimum or the taxpayer's midlevel exception, and the Pelicans were able to offer that.

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