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Warriors News: Latest Buzz on 15th Roster Spot, Langston Galloway

Maurice Bobb

Every year, NBA teams are faced with the difficult decision of what players they signed to training-camp deals should round out their 15-man roster, and the Golden State Warriors are no different.

Perennial All-Star Klay Thompson is still out and James Wiseman is still working his way back from a torn meniscus, so the Warriors have to try to augment that lost production until they return.

But that's always easier said than done.

For Golden State, it all comes down to who will fill the 15th spot.

With names like Chris Chiozza, Jordan Bell, Gary Payton II, Mychal Mulder and Avery Bradley all competing for the last spot, these last two preseason games will be important to the decision process.

Bell previously played for the Warriors from 2017-19 and rejoined the team in May on a two-way contract. The former Oregon Duck would be a good fit if the Warriors were leaning toward adding size, but that's not so important for a team that's committed to Draymond Green at center during their Death Lineup.

Chiozza is already on a two-way contract, and the team might try to give the other two-way contract to Mulder. The only danger is he might not sign it.

That would leave a two-man battle between Payton and Bradley.

Payton already has experience playing for Golden State late last year, serving as a stickler on defense backing up Steph Curry at the point. The son of Hall of Famer Gary Payton has been out because of a hernia injury and is back to show what he can do just in time. 

But of all of the names on the cutting board, only Bradley has the verbal backing of Stephen Curry to lean on.

As far as the two-time MVP is concerned, Bradley is in town to be the defensive stopper they need moving forward.

"I've always called him a bulldog,'" Curry said after practice via The Athletic's Anthony Slater. "Everybody asks who are some of the toughest defenders that you've had, and he's the first guy that comes to mind. Just because he's relentless, he's physical, he's quick, he's got good awareness of not just on-ball defense but team defense as well.

"He's shown not only the skill set but the commitment to it. You can have guys who have been in the league as long as he has that might try to do something different or switch up or take a shortcut ... it's really hard to defend like that physically."

Bradley's would-be contributions to the games are important, but Curry's also angling for what the 12-year veteran guard brings to practice.

"He's shown in training camp that's still important to him and he knows that's where he provides a lot of value. It's been awesome to watch," Curry added. "Honestly, it helps you get better in training camp when you have a guy like that pushing you every possession. I know JP's [Jordan Poole] felt that same way. He came to camp prepared and ready, and he's shown what he's capable of."

     

Warriors Waive Langston Galloway

Noah Graham/Getty Images

It's official: Langston Galloway's journey in Golden State is over, for now.

The 29-year old guard was given a nonguaranteed contract for training camp and played relatively well through three games.

In 8.8 minutes per game, he averaged 3.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Those are decent numbers for a backup, but it wasn't enough for the Warriors to want to keep him around.

Galloway was brought in for his shooting (he has a career three-point shooting average of 37.0 percent), but it looks like Golden State has enough offensive weapons, especially with the emergence of Poole.

Before trying his hand with the Warriors, Galloway played with the Phoenix Suns. Last season, he averaged 4.8 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists per contest.

The Suns made the Finals last year, but Galloway didn't play very much in the postseason and wanted the chance to go elsewhere for more minutes.

He's not eligible for a two-way contract, so at this point, he could possibly land with another team on a nonguaranteed or partially guaranteed deal.

   

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