Stephen Curry glad Kevon Looney 'got paid' by signing with Pelicans, even if it meant leaving Warriors

When the Golden State Warriors open next season, they'll be doing so without Kevon Looney on the roster. It's the first time that's happened since 2015, when he was drafted 30th overall by the Warriors. Behind Stephen Curry and Draymond Green last season, Looney was the longest tenured Warriors player on the roster, having been there for three of Golden State's four championships in the last decade.

It will be a new normal for the Warriors as Looney joins the New Orleans Pelicans on a two-year, $16 million deal this summer. Looney's numbers never jumped off the page, with career averages of five points and 5.7 rebounds, but Curry knows the impact he's had on the franchise, especially in the last few years.

"With me, Klay [Thompson] and Draymond, we avoided the evils of the NBA and the transitions from year to year for a long time," Curry said, per the San Francisco Chronicle. "Loon was part of that for a decade, instrumental to not only our championship runs but the culture around the locker room. Every young guy who came in, he gave big-brother vibes even though he was a little brother to us. He was a stable presence for everybody, and we'll miss his voice and his presence. I'm glad he got paid and got what he earned."

Looney became a full-time starter with the Warriors during the 2021-22 season, when he played in all 82 regular-season games and proved instrumental in the playoffs en route to Golden State winning another NBA title. In the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Mavericks, Looney exposed Dallas' lack of rim protection and averaged a double-double in that series while dropping 21 points in a dominant Game 2 victory in that series. 

Looney filled a number of roles for Golden State over the years and never complained about moving from a starter to coming off the bench this past season But beyond the on-court value Looney provided, as Curry said, he had become part of Golden State's foundation for 10 years. Any time a player leaves a franchise they've been with for that long, it has an impact to some degree on the team moving forward. 

Looney may not be at the level of Curry or Green in terms of recognition within the Warriors organization, but having someone who can be a mentor to young players coming in is crucial for any team. He was one of the only players on that roster served as a bridge between Warriors legends like Curry and Green and the younger guys on the roster who are there now. After losing Thompson in free agency last summer, the Warriors have now lost another foundation piece, which will once again put them in chartered waters.