Sep 23, 2025; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Poole (3) reacts after a half court shot during media day at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Jordan Poole's Telling Message After Reuniting With Former Warriors Teammate

Originally posted on New Orleans Pelicans on SI
By Will Despart | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 1:55 PM ET

The biggest move of the New Orleans Pelicans' offseason was acquiring star guard Jordan Poole from the Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum. In addition to bringing in Poole, the Pelicans also signed his former Golden State Warriors teammate Kevon Looney to a two-year contract that reunited the fellow 2022 NBA Champions.

Looney and Poole were both key members and regular starters on that 2022 team, becoming beloved pieces of Bay Area basketball history in the process while also forming a bond that should serve them well during their upcoming stint together in New Orleans.

At media day this past week, Poole made it clear that he's excited for another chance to play with Looney and that the two should be a useful resource for some of the younger players in the locker room. Looney and Poole not only provided an added veteran presence in New Orleans, but Poole also expects Looney's presence on the floor to open things up for the offense.

"I'm super excited, man. I haven't had a good screen in two years."

Pelicans guard Jordan Poole on playing with Kevon Looney again

(via @PelicansNBA)pic.twitter.com/D2gX3Tc2AP
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 23, 2025

"Just playing with somebody who's won a championship, obviously, you go through a long season and you just build the relationship," Poole said. "But in terms of just basketball chemistry, for me personally, it's a really big pickup just for how I play.

"I think it's huge for our team, too, for the young guys, for [Derik Queen], for [Yves] Missi, for opening up the floor for guys like Trey [Murphy], and [Jordan Hawkins], and Herb [Jones]. And just our experience, man, we've got a really good group. I think Troy [Hawkins] and Joe [Dumars] did a good job of putting this unit together."

Improving on Last Season

While the Pelicans' offseason moves drew mainly negative reactions from pundits and analysts around the game, the hope is that the team will be able to improve upon their abysmal 21-61 record from last season with the addition of Poole and Looney's championship experience alongside a revitalized Zion Williamson.

Williamson showed up to media day with a sleek new figure that prompted plenty of viral reactions on social media and made him a popular sleeper choice among some fans to potentially bring an MVP award back to New Orleans. The Pelicans are projected to win nine more games this season than they did last season, but it will take an even greater improvement to meaningfully contend for the playoffs.

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— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) September 24, 2025

The Pelicans are scheduled to open the season on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 22, with tip-off for that game scheduled for 8 p.m. EST.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Pelicans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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