The Golden State Warriors announced they'd be waiving big man Marquese Chriss quickly after a 111-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings, a move the forward in quest of redemption didn't see coming.
Teammates reached out to him with messages of encouragement
“Stay up,” Alec Burks told Chriss, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
“Hey,” Omari Spellman added. “Make sure you text me.”
The move was made largely due to last resort measures to keep Damion Lee, a player they've been honing as a two-way for the past two seasons.
Due to Stephen Curry's injury, the Warriors were forced to call up both of their two-way guards, Lee and Ky Bowman, to play as part of the 15-man roster, and the former had just about exhausted his days as an NBA player.
Two-way players have 45 days to play in the NBA, including games and practices, but excluding travel days. By the end of Monday, Lee had taken part in 24 games and 19 practices. Assuming he was held out of Tuesday and Thursday practices, Lee could have used his last two remaining days on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks and Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Chriss was cognizant of this possibility, with the Warriors being hard-capped and unable to maneuver their roster as they normally would. His deal was the only one non-guaranteed, making him the one to go if a change was to be made.
“They said it’s been a tough decision,” said Chriss minutes after learning of his release. “It is what it is. I’ve accomplished a lot. I’ve shown what I’m capable of. I’ve shown I belong. People make business decisions.”
The Warriors had to make that business decision to favor a homegrown talent, and one that had shown rotation potential. Chriss was a well-liked guy in the locker room, but ultimately the sacrificial lamb of this predicament.
Golden State will soon lock in a pro-rated deal with Lee, so that he may join the 15-man roster for the remainder of the season.
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