Warriors waive Payton, Mulder, Bell, and Bradley

The Golden State Warriors have waived Avery Bradley, Mychael Mulder, Jordan Bell, and Gary Payton II.

The news was delivered via Steve Kerr shortly after their win over Portland in the final game of the preseason Friday night at Chase Center.

While being waived by an NBA team is never the result a player wants, my guess is that several of these guys will be able to find work elsewhere and/or come back on board with Golden State in some capacity, as I’ll speak on shortly.

Mulder, while never contributing at a very high level throughout his tenure with the Warriors, is the only player amongst those waived that is eligible for a two-way deal by the Dubs. The other three will either be re-signed down the line or will look to be picked up by another team.

The most unique situation of the four players waived is Payton’s. Had the Warriors offered him the 15th roster spot before the deadline today, they would have had to fully guarantee his contract. If they choose to bring him back then they can restructure his deal which will give the franchise much more flexibility.

Many thought coming into training camp that the 15th roster spot would be occupied by either Bradley or Payton. Leaving this roster spot vacant, however, to start the season opens up the possibility for the Dubs to use their MLE down the line in the buyout market. However, I think the most likely scenario is the re-signing of Gary Payton Ⅱ.

Ideally, if they choose to bring Payton back, they can restructure his deal in a way that favors flexibility as opposed to guaranteed money for a player that will not likely be asked to make a huge impact this upcoming season. Every dollar counts for the Warriors, as they currently have the highest luxury tax note in the league. An extra million dollars in the books equates to around $5M for the Warriors. Lacob and company don’t mind spending money, but at the same time, it’s clear they are attempting not to frivolously spend as well.

When the Warriors signed Bradley several weeks ago, I wasn’t that excited about the potential addition. While he has had a very good career hanging his hat on the defensive end of the floor, I, like many, felt his lack of ability to contribute on offense would inevitably be what would hold him back from making the final roster.

As for Bell, he has bounced around a lot since leaving the Warriors and has since been seeking a place to once again call home. Although he still possesses good athletic ability, it seemed pretty apparent the Warriors had brought him in specifically for training camp and did not intend to have him hang around during the season. The Warriors made it clear that they were looking for a guard to provide relief in the event that Stephen Curry or Jordan Poole were to miss time.

With the season upon us in a few short days, I think that it’s a possibility the Warriors are going to rely on their draft prospects to step up to the challenge on the defensive end of the floor. Look for Moses Moody, particularly, to assume a possible combo-guard role in spot minutes if needed. The Dubs siding with youth over experience here could be an indicator that they feel good about Moody moving into the future.

More clarity over the vacant roster spot should be seen in the coming days as the dust settles and the season commences.

(Photo credit: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press)