The Warriors trimmed their preseason roster on Sunday, and the move that stood out was the one they didn’t make.
Golden State waived Miles Kelly, even after the 23-year-old guard turned in the kind of preseason outing that usually earns a longer look. In Wednesday’s 123-118 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Kelly came off the bench and filled it up: 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He shot 8-of-16 from the field and 6-of-11 from 3-point range in what was essentially his lone real chance to make a case this preseason.
Instead, the Warriors will likely send him to Santa Cruz, where he’ll try to keep his NBA hopes alive in the G League. The roster spot could have gone to Kelly on a two-way deal if Golden State had moved on from Malevy Leons, but the team chose to keep Leons in the mix.
That decision makes for an easy comparison. Kelly’s production against Portland was more eye-catching than anything Leons has shown this preseason, or, as the source puts it, frankly in any game since he joined the franchise last season. Leons does bring a more connective, role-player profile, but the Warriors appear to have valued that over rewarding the hotter hand.
There is also a bigger-picture layer to the call. With Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody injured, Golden State seems to view Leons as a possible depth forward rather than a raw prospect like Kelly, who spent 14 games with the Dallas Mavericks last season before landing with the Warriors.
Even so, Leons still does not appear to be anywhere near Steve Kerr’s opening-night rotation plans for the game against the Los Angeles Lakers in 10 days. If injuries are what open the door for him, Golden State would probably have bigger problems on its hands.
Kelly is not the only preseason name on the way out. Dalen Terry also made noise in Wednesday’s game in Portland, nearly posting a triple-double with 23 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals while going 9-of-18 from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep. He could finish the final two preseason games with the team, but he is also expected to be waived, since the former first-round pick is no longer eligible for a two-way contract in his fifth season.
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