Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty ImagesThe Golden State Warriors are going to start the regular season with just 13 players on their roster.
Per Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Warriors are releasing Rudy Gay and Rodney McGruder to give themselves extra roster and financial flexibility.
Charania added that Golden State will fill one of the extra spots on its roster within the first two weeks of the regular season.
Gay and McGruder were among six players the Warriors signed on Sept. 28. Those deals gave the team a full 21-player roster for training camp, but only 13 players were on guaranteed contracts.
Slater noted Gay and McGruder will be among the candidates to fill the 14th spot on the roster.
NBA rules permit teams to carry only 12 or 13 players for a brief period of time, but they can't carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for more than two consecutive weeks or more than 28 days total over the course of an entire season.
Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News noted the Warriors have until Nov. 3 to fill their 14th spot.
Per Spotrac, the Warriors have the highest payroll in the NBA at $207.2 million and an estimated $188.2 million luxury tax payment.
The Warriors barely utilized either player during the preseason. Gay played just under 15 minutes in two games, scoring a total of four points on 2-of-6 shooting. McGruder played 20 minutes and scored eight points in one game.
Draymond Green's ankle injury has left his status for the start of the regular season up in the air. If he will have to miss multiple games because of the issue, it could open an opportunity for either Gay or McGruder to get back on the roster.
Golden State will open the 2023-24 regular season on Tuesday when it hosts the Phoenix Suns.
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