The Golden State Warriors might have regularly been on the hunt for an upgrade from Kevon Looney in recent years, but they never really reached desperate levels thanks to the veteran center's remarkable durability.
That hasn't extended to his early tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans though, with Looney's early injury concern forcing the front office into a desperate free agency move just days in the NBA regular season.
Pelicans sign Deandre Jordan to cover Kevon Looney's injury absence
As first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday, New Orleans have signed veteran center Deandre Jordan to a one-year contract while waiving guard Jaden Springer to fortify their big man rotation.
While Jordan could bring plenty from an experience and locker room perspective, signing the 37-year-old is a desperate move from a playing standpoint given he's been nothing but a backup with the Denver Nuggets over the past three seasons.
The Pelicans were given little choice though based on their injury concerns, having started when Looney suffered a knee sprain during the first preseason game against Australia's Melbourne United earlier in the month.
Looney is yet to make his Pelicans debut and remains out for Monday's home game against the visiting Boston Celtics, while young big men Yves Missi (ankle) and Karlo Matkovic (back) are also questionable for the matchup.
Being forced into an in-season move to strengthen their center rotation was never really required for the Warriors since Looney became one of the most durable players in the league over recent years. The 3x NBA champion played an incredible 289-straight regular season and playoff games, having only been broken due to being removed from Steve Kerr's rotation.
While he always remained incredibly healthy in his last couple of years with the franchise, Looney's role at the Warriors became more restricted due to his offensive limitations. The front office clearly placed their focus on signing Al Horford early in free agency, paving the way for Looney to sign a two-year, $16 million contract with the Pelicans.
While Horford is certainly an upgrade over Looney, there's an irony in the fact that Golden State may now need to make a mid-season move to strengthen their center rotation. Horford is being managed to around 20 minutes per game, while also resting from one night of back-to-backs.
With limited impact and minutes from Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis, it wouldn't be overly surprising to see the Warriors acquire another center just like the Pelicans have done in signing Jordan.