Warriors Make Shocking Roster Cuts Ahead of Preseason Finale

Getty Golden State Warriors wing Quinndary Weatherspoon takes the ball to the hoop during a preseason game against the Washington Wizards.

Entering training camp, the Golden State Warriors appeared to be one of the less interesting follows league-wide. The uncertainty about Andre Iguodala’s future with the team notwithstanding, the Dubs’ roster was more or less set and there was little else to dig into for the defending champs.

However, Draymond Green flipped that script in a big, bad way last week. And now, on the eve of Golden State’s preseason finale against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, the competition for the club’s two-way roster spots is suddenly wide open, too.

Per an announcement from the Warriors on Thursday morning, shooting guards Quinndary Weatherspoon and Lester Quiñones have both been released from their contracts. The pair had been signed to two-way deals by the Dubs back in July.

Both moves came as something of a surprise for the Bay Area faithful but Weatherspoon’s dismissal was particularly unexpected.

Weatherspoon Looked to Be Primed for a Roster Spot

For a team fresh off an NBA title run, the Warriors saw an incredible amount of turnover during the opening days of free agency. Essentially, the team’s entire playoff second unit flew the coop; a group headlined by lockdown maestro Gary Payton II, big man Otto Porter Jr and floor-stretcher Nemanja Bjelica.

It was clear that the Dubs’ youth contingent would be called upon to absorb a lot of those minutes, while an outside free agent or two would also have to be signed to plug gaps. Even so, an opportunity looked to be there for Weatherspoon to lock down a full-time spot on the roster.

The 26-year-old had acquitted himself well in 11 appearances as a two-way baller with the Warriors last season, playing the lockdown D that has become his calling card and hitting 57.1% of his shots. But he really shined when he was in the G League.

In 20 games with the Sea Dubs, he averaged an impressive 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per contest.

The one bugbear with Weatherspoon has been his lack of a consistent three-point shot. He has connected on just 18.8% of his triples at the NBA level and 31.6% in the G League during his career. After Tuesday’s practice, though, he indicated that his ability and confidence from deep were trending upward.

“I think it’s come a long way,” Weatherspoon told reporters. “I think my confidence just with taking the shot has come a long way… I shot the three-ball decent [as a collegiate], I think just coming into the NBA I kind of lost that confidence… With all the time that I put in this summer, it’s come a long way. I’m very confident in shooting the three right now.”

Quiñones Still Looking for First NBA Opportunity

While Weatherspoon has some years and experience under his belt, Quiñones had only just begun his journey as a pro baller. After three years at Memphis, the 21-year-old decided to forgo his senior season with the Tigers and enter June’s NBA Draft.  Ultimately, his name wasn’t called but Golden State was quick to scoop him up with the two-way.

Quiñones went on to appear in eight summer league games with the Dubs, averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per contest. He also made two appearances for the club this preseason, putting up 5.0 PPG and 1.5 RPG.

Said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, via NBC Sports Bay Area, earlier this week: “Lester’s a really intriguing prospect. He’s very athletic, good size, combo guard, good passer. He can really finish at the rim. He’s an interesting prospect that we liked all summer and he’s continued to perform well here in camp.”

With Weatherspoon and Quiñones on the outs, Pat Spencer, Anthony Lamb, Ty Jerome and Jerome Robinson will vie for the open two-way spots.