Warriors News: Avery Bradley, Jordan Bell, Gary Payton II Waived Before Season Opener

The Golden State Warriors shook up their roster with the 2021-22 season approaching.

Nick Friedell of ESPN reported Friday that the Western Conference team announced it waived Avery Bradley, Gary Payton II, Jordan Bell and Mychal Mulder. Head coach Steve Kerr said the plan is to leave the 15th spot on the roster open for the time being.

That will give Golden State some flexibility ahead of Tuesday's season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.

Bradley stands out among the players who were waived Friday considering he is a veteran who has been in the league since 2010, won a championship with the 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers and been selected to two All-Defensive teams.

However, he has been something of a journeyman after playing his first seven seasons with the Boston Celtics. Since then, he has suited up for the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Lakers, Miami Heat and Houston Rockets.

At his best, Bradley was a lockdown defender on the perimeter who could provide secondary scoring and shoot from the outside. He averaged as many as 16.3 points per game in 2016-17 for the Celtics.

Yet the 30-year-old is likely past his prime at this point and averaged just 6.4 points in 27 games last season for the Heat and Rockets.

Bell has averaged just 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game since he entered the league as a second-round pick in 2017. Payton has averaged 3.4 points per game in his career, and Mulder averaged 5.6 points in 60 games for the Warriors last season.

Golden State is looking to return to the upper echelon of the Western Conference this campaign with Klay Thompson returning after he missed the past two seasons with ACL and Achilles injuries.

The team's depth took something of a hit with these moves, but none of the players the Warriors released were seen as key pieces in the rotation.