Warriors news: Lindy Waters III and Gui Santos are out of the rotation

It's unclear whether the Golden State Warriors can rise above goodness or even mediocrity this season. That, as they say, is why they play the games, and with the 2024-25 NBA season starting this week, we're about to find out just how good this team can be. But while we don't yet know if the Dubs will be great, we've known for some time that they have a bit of a roster crisis due to the strength of their good players.

They simply have too many good players to fit into a 48-minute game. That means some players will be on the outside looking in as the season begins.

We know who two of those players will be: offseason addition Lindy Waters III and 2022 second-round pick Gui Santos. Coach Steve Kerr announced Monday – two days before the team's season opener – that Waters and Santos will not begin the year in the rotation.

That leaves 12 players still fighting for rotation spots: Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Kyle Anderson, Draymond Green, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney.

Kerr has been pretty open about wanting to trim the rotation down to 10 players, meaning two more players will likely receive unfortunate news in the next day or two.

Payton seems like the obvious choice. The Warriors already had a crowded backcourt before I'm going with a big starting lineup because it looks like Wiggins will slide into the two-man spot for the first five games. It's hard to imagine GPII passing on coveted offseason acquisitions Melton and Hield or someone as valued as Podziemski, who the team reportedly didn't want to include in potential Lauri Markkanen trade packages. And given Kerr's openly expressed desire to shoot more threes this year, Payton's lack of a reliable three-point shot makes him harder to score.

But after GPII? It's difficult to find another player to remove from the rotation. The most likely option is Anderson, as he hasn't played much this preseason and doesn't necessarily have a carrying ability that the Warriors wouldn't get elsewhere. Looney could also be an option if Kerr can play Green at the five with some regularity. Fans have become accustomed to Moody being overlooked, even though he has been the most impressive player on the team this pre-season and has just signed a three-year extension.

One thing is certain: opportunities will arise for all of these players (including Waters and Santos). Injuries keep the rotation in a state of semi-constant flux, and players will slip in and out of their roles. There could even be a trade at some point, which would make things even easier.

I certainly don't envy Kerr.