On the first day of the 2025 NBA free agency, Kevon Looney decided to leave the Golden State Warriors after 10 years with the organization. Looney was a key piece in the 3 Warriors' championship, serving as the anchor in the paint for them. So when he decided to sign a two-year deal with the Pelicans to open free agency, it came as a shock to most.
During his recent appearance on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast, Looney provided insight into why he decided to leave the Bay Area. Looney said.
"We’re going up against Steven Adams—those are the matchups I thrive in. But I wasn’t given the chance to do my job… Even in the playoffs, it felt like they didn’t trust me, and I really thought I had earned that trust.”
Looney left Golden State on less-than-ideal terms, as he felt the organization no longer trusted him, despite his 10 years of winning basketball. Looney isn't the only player on the Pelicans who had a not-so-friendly departure from Golden State. Enter Jordan Poole.
Poole went from being an extremely valuable part of the Warriors' 2022 championship run, and at one point was even being looked at as the eventual successor of Steph Curry. However, instead, he found himself off the team just one year removed from a championship because Draymond Green punched him in practice.
Poole has made it clear during the last two seasons he spent in Washington that he takes matchups with the Warriors personally.
In his final meeting with Golden State last season, he dropped 38 points and drilled eight threes in the process. If Poole continues to bring that energy against the Warriors, I guarantee Looney will do the same.
The Pelicans have never had a true rival, but that may change now
The New Orleans franchise as a whole has never had any true rivals, even dating back to its pre-Pelicans days. This newfound connection between the Warriors franchise and 2 of the Pelicans' key players could give Pels fans their first authentic taste of a rivalry.
These games are bound to get chippy, as both teams have their fair share of trash talkers. The antics of not just Jordan Poole and Draymond, but now Jimmy Butler as well, are going to result in some major fireworks.
With both the Warriors and Pelicans competing for a spot in the middle of the Western Conference, the teams' meetings are bound to have some high stakes. The Pelicans are projected to be anywhere from the 6th to 10th seed next season, and the Warriors find themselves in a similar boat.
The arrival of Poole and Looney has paved the way for what promises to be one of the NBA's most thrilling rivalries in the coming years. Golden State will be out to prove it didn’t make a mistake letting these guys go, while Poole and Looney will be looking to show the Warriors exactly what they gave up on.