Marquese Chriss was an unfortunate casualty of the salary cap this week, and the Golden State Warriors are not happy to see him go.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Tuesday that everyone on the team was “disappointed” about the former lottery pick being waived.
“Marquese has been great on and off the floor,” said Kerr, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Good young talent. He’s developed, got a fantastic attitude, somebody we were all really hoping we could keep. But the rules stipulated that we had to shed money. And this was the end result. One way or the other, this is how it ended up.”
“I think everyone’s disappointed — players, coaches, front office,” Kerr went on. “But this is how it worked out.”
The 22-year-old Chriss had been a quality fill-in for a battered Golden State frontcourt this season, averaging 7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 17.7 minutes a game. But Jan. 10 is the deadline to waive players on nonguaranteed deals before they become guaranteed, and the Warriors chose to save room for guard Damion Lee on the 15-man roster instead. Lee was a two-way player who had run out of NBA days on his contract due to the team’s many injuries.
The Warriors have had to make a few difficult salary-saving moves in recent months, and Chriss’ departure is not going to come as any easier for them.
