The Golden State Warriors began cleaning their roster Saturday following their 108-102 loss to the Denver Nuggets on the first day of the 2017 NBA preseason. Shooting guards Antonius Cleveland and Alex Hamilton were the players removed from the squad, FanRag Sports reported.
Cleveland and Hamilton both saw action in the Warriors' defeat to the Nuggets. In six minutes, Cleveland led all bench scorers for Golden State as he tallied eight points. He was perfect from the field hitting all four of his shot attempts. The 23-year-old also had two rebounds and two steals for Golden State.
Hamilton, who came from Louisiana Tech, just recorded two points in three minutes on the floor.
No chance
The release of Cleveland and Hamilton was something expected since each of them had little to no chance of making it to Golden State's final lineup. They are shooting guards, and as of the moment, the Warriors already have plenty of talent at that position.
The other half of the Splash Brothers, All-Star Klay Thompson, is the projected starter at shooting guard for Golden State. Thompson will have two quality backups for the new season in Nick Young and Patrick McCaw. Young is an NBA veteran who is also known as a prolific scorer. Meanwhile, McCaw is one of the young talents the Warriors are developing.
The 21-year-old proved his worth to the franchise last season, his rookie year.
More players will be leaving Golden State as the preseason continues. The Warriors still have ample time to assess who are the ones staying to be part of the roster for the 2017-18 season.
Steve Kerr's solo trip
In other Warriors news, head coach Steve Kerr is not traveling with the team to China for their next two preseason games.
Kerr is going to have a different scheduled flight due to issues with his passport. Golden State's second preseason outing is versus the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 5. The game will take place at the Shenzhen Universiade Center in Guangdong, China.
Unlike Golden State, the Timberwolves won their first contest this preseason when they beat Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers, 108-99, in Anaheim, California.
The Wolves are looking to remain unbeaten when they face the Dubs. The Warriors, on the other hand, aim to bounce back after getting stunned by the Nuggets at the Oracle Arena. Golden State and Minnesota will have a rematch at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai on October 8.
