Steve Kerr has left the possibility of a late roster change hanging out there, even as the Golden State Warriors appear close to finalizing their opening-night group for next week’s matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Thursday, Kerr said all three players on non-guaranteed deals - Georges Niang, Charles Bassey and Brandon Williams - would make the opening night roster, but he stopped short of saying the situation was fully locked in.
“I don't think I can quite answer that. Just based on not having the facts in front of me. I still have to have to have conversations with Mike about everything that's going on,” Kerr told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Luca Evans.
That leaves the slimmest of openings for a move, though the practical options are extremely limited. Outside of a last-second trade, there isn’t much Golden State can do, and even that route would be a long shot.
One possible name to watch is Dalen Terry, who has stood out in preseason. Even so, there isn’t an obvious trade piece on the roster that makes a move for him easy to pull off. If he doesn’t stick, he’ll almost certainly end up in Santa Cruz, get his run in the G League and wait for another NBA shot, either with the Warriors or somewhere else.
The bigger obstacle for Golden State is the current trade situation. Nine players on the roster can’t be moved right now because they recently signed new contracts. That group includes Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski, both of whom agreed to extensions, along with Draymond Green, Al Horford, De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Williams, Niang and Bassey, who all signed in free agency.
That leaves just six trade-eligible players, making them the only realistic path to any roster tweak in the next few days. Yaxel Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick, is effectively off the table unless something unexpected and massive develops - the kind of deal that could also involve Jimmy Butler and his $56.8 million expiring contract.
Moses Moody is also trade-eligible despite working his way back from a long-term knee injury. Gui Santos looks safe, especially with a starting role on opening night seemingly in his future. That puts Will Richard in the most vulnerable spot if Golden State does decide it needs to open up a roster spot, though that still feels unlikely.
For now, the wild card is Kristaps Porzingis. The Warriors could, in theory, try to move him - perhaps even attaching draft capital to get a useful player back - but his latest health concern makes it tough to imagine another team biting.
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