Warriors next celebratory (but sad) reunion is confirmed after schedule release

Klay Thompson's return to Chase Center was one of the most celebrated -- but at the same time kind of sad -- moments of last regular season, and now the Golden State Warriors are set to relive a similar experience this November

After some tidbits of information over the last week, including Golden State's first two games, the NBA Cup and a Christmas Day matchup against Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks, the NBA schedule was fully released on Thursday with a keen eye toward one specific matchup.

Kevon Looney will return to Chase Center on November 29

Kevon Looney may now be at the exact same stature as Thompson, but he's a franchise legend in his own right who spent a decade at the Warriors, won three championships and who has left an indelible on and off-court legacy following his departure at the start of free agency.

The veteran center will now make his return to Chase Center as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans on November 29, having signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Western Conference rival in free agency.

It's not the first time Looney will come up against Golden State though, with a matchup between the two teams at Smoothie King Center scheduled for just under two weeks earlier on November 16.

Looney was surprisingly forthright in his frustration toward the franchise upon his departure, telling Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic that the trust had been lost toward the end of last season.

“We’re going up against Steven Adams -- those are the matchups I thrive in. But I wasn’t given the chance to do my job… Even in the playoffs, it felt like they didn’t trust me, and I really thought I had earned that trust," Looney said.

Looney also revealed that the Warriors never really came to him with an offer at the start of free agency, further proving that the franchise was ready to move on after his reduced role over the previous two years.

The 29-year-old would have been stalled even if Golden State had interest in re-signing him, with Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency holding everything up including the future of veteran champion Gary Payton II.

Even if Looney wasn't totally thrilled with his exit from the Warriors, there's little doubt that the franchise will go all out to make sure he's celebrated in a way that truly reflects the legacy he built over the last decade.

Looney will have a familiar face next to him to go through the experience, with 2022 championship teammate Jordan Poole now also a member of the Pelicans after being traded by the Washington Wizards earlier in the offseason.