The Warriors had a number of departures this offseason, but the losses of Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston sting the heart more than most.
Iguodala was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in order to clear enough room to sign D'Angelo Russell, and Livingston, 33, was waived, leaving the Warriors without two of their most beloved veteran leaders.
While Livingston's exit from the Bay was forecasted for quite some time, that doesn't mean it wasn't hard for head coach Steve Kerr to say goodbye to one of the instrumental players of the Warriors dynasty.
"It's something we anticipated because of his age, his contract situation," Kerr told LetsGoWarriors at Team USA's practice in LA. "I was prepared for that one, but it's still a huge loss from a leadership standpoint. Shaun is one of those people that you just want to be with in any circumstance. He's smart, funny and humble. He's just a great human being. He also happens to be a hell of a basketball player and a good teammate. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed my five years with Shaun."
Livingston currently is a free agent, but many assume the veteran guard will call it a career and hang up his sneakers. Whenever Livingston decides he's done, Kerr wouldn't mind seeing him around the Warriors in some capacity.
"He's somebody I'm hoping can be involved with our organization for many years to come," Kerr said. "That would be the plan if we can pull it off, but he's got to get away right now and get some freedom, enjoy his family before he figures out what's next."
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Livingston arrived in the Bay before the 2014-15 season. During his five seasons with the Warriors, he averaged 5.4 points per game on 52 percent shooting, but his impact on one of the greatest runs in NBA history goes far beyond the stat sheet.
Assistant coach Shaun Livingston doesn't have a bad ring to it.
