Getty Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr addresses the media after Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors went into training camp and the preseason holding an open competition to determine who would earn the 15th and final roster spot.
In the end, no one won.
After the conclusion of their preseason finale on Friday, the Warriors made their final roster moves including filling both of their vacant two-way roster spots. But the Warriors ultimately decided not to fill the 15th spot — though history shows it may not stay open for very long.
Warriors Make Final Roster Moves
Shortly after the conclusion of Friday’s 119-112 loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Warriors announced a series of moves to complete their roster. They signed Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb to the two-way contracts that had been vacated a day before when the team waived Quinndary Weatherspoon and Lester Quiñones.
Though Weatherspoon and Quiñones appeared to have an inside track on the spots, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said the team was keeping its options open.
“There are other players as well out there who will be on the waiver wire, that we could consider so nothing has been decided, nothing has been set in stone,” Kerr said. “We really like the guys who are here right now in camp, so we’ll make that decision in the next 48 hours.”
Former March Madness hero Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb landed the Warriors’ available two-way spots entering this season, the team announced Friday night after its preseason finale.
While the Warriors handed the two-way contracts to Jerome and Lamb, they also decided to keep the 15th roster spot vacant going into the season. There are now 14 players with guaranteed contracts going into the start of the season against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 19 — Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman, Moses Moody, Donte DiVincenzo, JaMychal Green and rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins.
Warriors Maintain Flexibility for Final Roster Spot
As Kerr alluded to when speaking about the two-way roster spots, Golden State’s decision to hold the final roster spot open gives them the flexibility to look at players on the waiver wire or in free agency. The move also provides a bit of cap relief for the team that last season had a payroll of nearly $350 million.
But the Warriors could also choose to fill the spot quickly, as they did just before the start of last season. The Warriors also held an open competition for their final roster spot going into the 2021-22 season, and after the conclusion of their final game waived all four of the remaining candidates — Avery Bradley, Gary Payton II, Mychal Mulder and Jordan Bell. But the Warriors signed Payton back the day of their season opener against the Lakers, and he went on to play a key role in the rotation throughout the regular season and playoffs.
Classic Warriors ball movement 🤩
Barring any significant injuries, it could be difficult for any newcomer to earn a meaningful spot in the rotation. The Warriors expect to hand more significant roles to all of their budding young stars, including 2021 lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody and former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman. Finally healthy after losing nearly a season and a half with a knee injury, Wiseman has looked impressive in the preseason while averaging 14.8 points per game.