The Warriors did not make any major additions to their roster this offseason so far, but they lost a pivotal piece of their dynasty run. Kevon Looney, the three-time NBA champion, was not extended by the Warriors and joined the Pelicans in free agency on a two-year, $16 million deal.
After the trade became official on July 6th, Looney penned down a heartfelt letter to the Warriors organization, its fans, and the city of San Francisco. Seeing this letter, the Warriors’ superstar Stephen Curry took to Instagram and penned a sincere message for his departing teammate.
“Forever a legend, Toon!!!! 17 on the clock!” wrote the Warriors superstar.
Looney was drafted by the Warriors before their historic 2015-16 season, right after winning the first championship of their dynasty run. In his message written for the Players’ Tribune, Looney recalls how the Warriors’ core of Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and their head coach, Steve Kerr, helped him feel comfortable and be his true self on the court.
It wasn’t by motivation, but rather showing him the crude, raw emotions that go behind the work that the Warriors put in during the practice. He claims he witnessed a screaming match between Kerr and Green, which helped him be himself with the team.
“Steph and Klay and them, they like to say that I didn’t talk to anyone for the first six months. And I dispute that for sure. But I will admit that I only really started being myself after I saw Coach Kerr and Draymond screaming at each other during that game at OKC when Steph hit the half-court buzzer-beater in OT.”
“Before that, there was no adversity. We would basically never lose, or really even come close to losing. There was nothing to get worked up about. No reasons to be fiery or passionate. And to me it was … weird.”
“It was like everything was too perfect, you know what I mean? And that made me uncomfortable. Because I knew full well that me? Some young kid from Milwaukee? I was far from perfect. So I was walking on eggshells. Basically stayed keeping quiet.”
“But when I saw Dray and Coach go at it that night? Saw them be human and show some raw emotion? Saw how much they cared, the fire? Everything kind of changed for me right then. That was the kind of thing I was used to with hoops. It was like….OK, I’m home.”
During his ten seasons with the Warriors, the 29-year-old Looney averaged 5.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 57.5% from the field. While he was in the nascent stages of his career in the first two championships, he was pivotal in the Warriors’ 2022 championship run.
The Warriors, however, seem to be nearing an implosion as they seem to be messing up their younger core while keeping on the aging veterans like Draymond Green, who do not have many good years left in the league. Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski are arguably the only promising young players left on this team, with Jonathan Kuminga on the verge of an exit.
With no veteran center on the roster anymore, the Warriors will likely now rely even more on their sophomore center Quinten Post. Or they would likely move to their small-ball style with Green at the center position. The Warriors are reportedly looking at several options, like Al Horford, to find a veteran center for their team. But with limited options in free agency, will we finally see the Warriors make a trade this offseason? Or will they resort to veteran options like Horford? Let us know what you think about where the Warriors go from here.
