In Game 7 against the Kings, Stephen Curry dropped 50 — a masterpiece in motion. But in the background, Kevon Looney hauled in 21 rebounds, doing what he’s always done: the dirty work no one celebrates, the kind that wins playoff games. A few months later, he was out of the rotation, watching younger players take minutes he no longer knew were his.

After 10 years, 3 championships, and nearly 600 games with Golden State, Looney is heading to New Orleans. He called it “life-changing,” a decade-long journey that began at 19. But the quiet departure masks a deeper truth — one rooted in role confusion, trust issues, and an uncomfortable decline that even Steve Kerr’s support couldn’t fix.

Looney was never the headline-maker. Across 599 regular-season games with Golden State, Looney averaged just 5.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. But numbers rarely tell the full story. His defense, IQ, and ability to show up in the postseason became vital for a team built. He wasn’t the loudest or the most talked about, but his impact was felt every time he grabbed a tough rebound or set a hard screen.

But last season, things shifted. He started just six games and averaged only 15 minutes per night. The decline was sharp — and unexpected. In his own words: “(I) had no idea what the team wanted his role to be”. There is more, “I thought y’all would trust me. Y’all really don’t think I’m good no more. What’s the problem? Either you trust me or you don’t.”

That quiet frustration, shared in The Players’ Tribune, marked the emotional crux of Looney’s exit. To be clear, Looney doesn’t blame Steve Kerr. In fact, he praised the coach for standing by him publicly. “With Steve, especially, the confidence he instilled in me by speaking on my behalf and letting people know that he and the team valued me … that was massive,” he shared.

As he put it: “Getting benched. Guys getting drafted and taking your minutes. Lineup changes. Falling out of the rotation sometimes…  So, yeah, sure, if I’m being honest, I got frustrated sometimes, or was feeling bad, but … I’d just keep all that at home.” Now the Warriors don’t need his services, so the Pelicans swooped in with a two-year, $16 million deal.

Can New Orleans offer more to Kevon Looney or just more of the same?

Looney now joins a Pelicans frontcourt that’s already crowded. They drafted Yves Missi and traded for Derik Queen — two young centers with upside. Add Looney to the mix, and the challenge becomes clear: he’s walking into a similar logjam. On the Locked on Warriors podcast, host Charlie Walter clarified the new situation and the same issues.

“Now, will he get that with the New Orleans Pelicans? It’s hard to see it that way, considering they have the same quagmire that the Warriors have, which is other bigs and just players on their team that can’t necessarily shoot the ball,” he noted. That’s a real concern.

Last offseason, there was talk of Looney adding a three-point shot to expand his game. It never materialized. In a league where spacing is king, he’ll need to prove he can evolve — or risk being boxed out again. So, adding a third center for depth creates a unique situation for the Pelicans. Which Kevon Looney will have to prove that he can solve. “So, you need someone to be able to stretch the floor and knock down shots. And remember, last offseason there was actually talk that Loon was going to expand his game, and he was going to shoot threes, and we did not really see that at all during the season nor the playoffs.”

Looney’s departure isn’t a betrayal. It’s a reflection of what happens when trust gets blurred, roles get redefined, and a once-essential player gets lost in the shuffle. He gave the Warriors everything — and now, he’s betting he still has more to give.

But in New Orleans, the circumstances look eerily familiar. The only way to flip the narrative? Show that the league — and maybe even Golden State — still underestimated Kevon Looney one last time.