Center Kevon Looney recently shocked Golden State Warriors fans by departing the team to sign with the New Orleans Pelicans after spending over 10 years in the Bay Area.
After winning three championships with the Warriors, he ultimately left to sign a two-year, $16 million deal with the Pelicans. Now, he is opening up about his decision and why it was a no-brainer.
‘I Want To Control My Destiny’ — Kevon Looney on Why He Left Warriors for Pelicans
During an appearance on the “Warriors Plus Minus” podcast, Looney explained his thought process during free agency and provided a behind-the-scenes look at how Golden State negotiates.
Wow this is so telling especially since it’s Loon of all people saying it… the audio quality isn’t the best but this is from the Plus Minus podcast. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ZMxQl8zhLQ
— CeeJay (@ceejaytalksball) July 13, 2025
“They’re telling me to wait, my minutes are always up and down… I don’t know how they really view me, or how much they’re going to offer. With the Warriors, it can vary from the taxpayer mid-level to the minimum, and that’s a big difference. I can’t wait on that, I want to control my destiny,” Looney said.
“That kinda made it easier because I know how they like to negotiate — how they like to do things. I knew it was gonna be a lowball [offer] probably to start and then if I couldn’t find more money out there somewhere else, I was just gonna have to take it. I didn’t want to do that again.”
Looney revealed that the Warriors were never going to match the offer he received from the Pelicans. When it was presented to them, they simply congratuled him.
“Once the deal happened, it wasn’t like the Warriors were coming back like, ‘Wait, we can offer you this!’ There was none of that. It was just like, ‘Congrats,'” Looney said. “It was, ‘We’re gonna miss you.’ So it felt like, alright, they weren’t going to top that [offer].”
Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. previously told reporters that the Warriors “value him so much as a player, as a teammate, as a core piece of this organization.” Also, head coach Steve Kerr recently delivered a heartfelt goodbye message to the veteran center, describing this as “a tough one.”
However, Looney was clearly frustrated at his declining role and the fact that the organization kept trying to replace him by drafting other bigs, including James Wiseman, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Quinten Post. When asked if the Post selection was the last straw, Looney laughed.
“I wouldn’t say that. Quinten is my guy. But it was anybody but me it seemed like at this point,” Looney said. “It was not one moment. Like, even this year probably in the playoffs, we’re going against Steven Adams. 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 trust me. Ya’ll really don’t think I’m that good anymore or what’s the problem?
“You get sick of that at some point. When you’re proving yourself the first four or five years, cool. But after 10 years, it’s like, ‘Alright, either you trust me or you don’t.'”
“When we were going against Steven Adams, like this is what I do. It’s like all right, y’all don’t trust me?”
“I thought y’all would trust me. Y’all really don’t think I’m good no more? Whats the problem… either you trust me or you don’t.”
The Kevon Looney era wasn’t supposed… https://t.co/YzIUzmj9Yb pic.twitter.com/2qormEDcem
— LoonMuse⚜️ (@KevonLooneyMuse) July 13, 2025
To Looney’s point, he was mostly relegated to the bench last season in favor of 2023 second-round pick Jackson-Davis. And during the playoffs, Looney averaged just 10 minutes per game — fewer than Post (12.2).
The NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement may have factored into the Warriors’ decision to let Looney walk as most teams are trying to avoid the dreaded second apron, but it certainly sounds like Looney had some pent-up frustration that impacted his decision as well.
Going into next season, Looney will provide championship experience and veteran leadership for a young Pelicans team that is looking to transform their culture and have a huge bounce-back campaign after winning just 21 games last season.
