Getty Steve Kerr, Warriors coach
The Warriors are going to need to need 14 players on their NBA roster, eventually. Thus, it was somewhat of a surprise this week when they cut veteran forward Rudy Gay, along with guard Rodney Magruder, ahead of Tuesday’s opener against the Suns.
Teams are allowed to go no more than four weeks with only 13 players, which is where the team’s roster stands heading into next week.
It’s a surprise to see Gay go. He appeared to be the kind of versatile, experienced veteran—one who can help develop young players, does not mind not playing for long stretches, and can fill in at multiple positions—that coach Steve Kerr likes to have on his bench.
Kerr and the Warriors lost that kind of player when Andre Iguodala retired this week. Iguodala had been a valuable end-of-the-bench member of the team, even as his minutes and production plummeted.
Gay, who played 15 minutes in two games during the preseason, is a 17-year NBA veteran and now a free agent. He played for Utah last year, and averaged 5.2 points in 14.6 minute per game. He made 56 appearances.
Rudy Gay Could Rejoin Warriors Roster After Cut
It is possible that the Warriors could come back to Rudy Gay, or Magruder for that matter, next month. The team is trying to minimize its NBA luxury tax penalty ($188 million and counting, per Spotrac)as much as possible, and keeping the roster at 13 for as long as is allowed under NBA rules will help.
Across the league, as teams make cuts in advance of their openers, the Warriors can keep an eye on other free agents and, perhaps, come up with a 14th player that way. They also could promote one of their two-way players—long-time Warriors prospect Lester Quinones, plus veterans and former first-round picks Usman Garuba and Jerome Robinson—to a standard contract.
Kerr said he was impressed with Rudy Gay early in training camp, though he did give a hint that he was no sure thing to make the roster.
“Rudy’s been great,” Kerr said, via SI.com. “He looks good, he’s feeling good. I talked to him today. He’s just a pro. He’s been around the league for a long time, so he recognizes everything that’s happening on the floor. Obviously, very talented, very skilled player. It’s great to have him here in camp, we’ll see how it plays out over the next few weeks.”
Gay Was Hoping to Win With the Warriors
It did not play out on the Warriors roster in Rudy Gay’s favor. Again, he could be brought back in a few weeks. But he was looking forward to getting a chance to play for a winner in Golden State, something that has eluded him during his time in the NBA.
Despite 1,120 regular-season games, Gay has been to the playoffs only three times, and has never advanced past the first round. He has appeared in just 19 playoff games.
He said early in camp that he was ready to adjust to whatever the Warriors asked, even if it meant playing center, which he had done occasionally in small lineups in Utah.
“To win, you have to change, just like that, whatever,” Gay said. “So I’m prepared to be whatever the team needs, whatever Steve need me to do. Obviously, there are a lot of guys on here that have experience on different lineups and stuff. I’ll have conversations with them about what they need for me. I’ll just do whatever. I’m not boxed into one way of playing anymore.
“That was me ten years ago, you know, when I was just trying to make it, trying to do — trying to carve myself into whatever my career was going to be. But right now, it’s just time to win.”