The Warriors have signed 17-year
NBA forward Rudy Gay to a non-guaranteed contract, sources confirmed Wednesday morning. Gay, who turned 37 last month, will join a pool of prospects, including 32-year-old Rodney McGruder, in a competition for one of the Warriors final roster spots in camp, which opens next Monday. Gay, a 6-foot-8 forward, has logged 1,120 career games (778 starts) split between five teams. He played the last two seasons with the
Utah Jazz, where he had a lesser role off the bench. Last season, he averaged 5.2 points on 38%
shooting in 56 games. The Warriors are the third team Gay has been linked to this offseason. The Jazz traded Gay to the Atlanta Hawks in June before he was moved again just weeks later to the Oklahoma City Thunder who waived him. With the addition of Chris Paul via a trade that sent Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins to the
Washington Wizards as well as the free agent signings of Dario Saric and Cory Joseph, Golden State bolsters an older and more experienced squad than last season’s team that struggled with chemistry. Now, they’re looking to potentially use one of their vacant spots to add a seasoned player who could help bring the team and serve as a mentor to young players. The Warriors also entertained veteran center Dwight Howard, hosting him for a workout last week, though they ultimately decided to pass on signing the three-time Defensive Player of the Year who played last season in Taiwan. Gay is profiling as a player who could be a better fit to be a glue guy. The Warriors have 13 players signed to guaranteed deals heading into camp. They’re expected to leave their final roster spot open to start the season for financial reasons, meaning there’s only one spot available in camp.