The Golden State Warriors have released Rudy Gay and Rodney McGruder, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Both veterans were on non-guaranteed deals. Golden State has 13 players on their roster heading into their season opener against the Phoenix Suns on October 24.
Throughout Golden State’s preseason games, Gay saw 15 minutes of playing time across two games. In the other three contests, he failed to see the floor. McGruder didn’t participate in the Warriors’ first four preseason games. However, he did see 20 minutes of playing time against the San Antonio Spurs on October 20.
The Golden State Warriors are releasing Rudy Gay and Rodney McGruder, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater. This trims Warriors’ standard deals to 13 players, giving extra roster/financial flexibility, and they will add the 14th spot within first two weeks of season. pic.twitter.com/tWRPSrFpYH
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 21, 2023
The Warriors will have some roster flexibility with two roster spots now available. Teams around the NBA will have some tough decisions to make in the coming days as they look to trim their rosters to comply with NBA rules.
As Charania reported, Golden State will likely fill their 14th roster spot shortly. However, the 15th and final space may remain open until closer to the trade deadline, when players begin to clear waives and teams look to make changes ahead of the stretch run.
Golden State ended their preseason preparations with a 4-1 record. Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis all impressed. The Warriors have some younger talents that have earned regular-season playing time. Golden State will undoubtedly round out their roster. Having high-level depth is imperative to a successful postseason run.
However, whoever they bring in will likely fight for end-of-bench minutes. The Warriors’ roster is deep. Competition for places is a good thing. But ensuring the young talent gets enough minutes to continue developing should be a priority, especially if they continue to make the type of impact we saw throughout the preseason.
