Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney are each entering a new NBA environment this season, yet there will be a sense of familiarity when the former Golden State Warriors teammates take to the floor together for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Poole was traded by the Washington Wizards in a deal centered around he and CJ McCollum in June, before the Pelicans quickly began free agency by agreeing to a two-year, $16 million contract with Looney that ended his 10-year career with the Warriors.
Jordan Poole is super excited to reunite with Kevon Looney
The pair played 262 games together for Golden State before Poole's departure in the 2023 offseason, including being part of the 2022 championship team. Now they reunite on a Pelicans squad looking to bounce back from a disastrous 2024-25 season, with Poole already pointing at one much needed element Looney will be able to provide him once they hit the floor together.
"I'm super excited. I haven't had a good screen in two years," Poole said at Pelicans media day on Tuesday.
“I’m super excited. I haven’t had a good screen in two years.” 😅
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 23, 2025
- Jordan Poole on playing with Kevon Looney again
(h/t @RashadMilligan ) pic.twitter.com/ZWF0KMXSE3
Looney's screen-setting has been a hallmark of his career to date, having developed into a starting center with Golden State in large part thanks to his ability to provide Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Poole with clean, open looks from beyond the arc or on cuts to the rim.
In theory Poole should thrive with having a savvy veteran center alongside him once again, rather than playing alongside young big men in Washington or briefly with Jonas Valancuinas who's far more focused on scoring than Looney is.
Whether it works out for the Pelicans in reality will be a major watch for Warrior fans who will undoubtedly retain interest in the former Golden State duo. In their most recent season together in 2022-23, the Poole-Looney combination was a -3.3 in net rating across 1060 minutes.
However, the season before was far more productive as the two were starters on a Warrior team that jumped out to an 18-2 start. The Poole-Looney combination yielded a +7.3 net rating in over 1100 minutes together that season, providing some optimism of their dynamic bringing a new element to a New Orleans offense that will likely remain centered around Zion Williamson.
Poole should retain a prominent role at least early in the season as Dejounte Murray recovers from a long-term injury, but Looney's opportunity is more uncertain given the presence of youngsters Yves Missi and Derik Queen. Either way, head coach Willie Green will be missing an opportunity if he doesn't utilize the chemistry that the duo built during their days with the Warriors.