Why the Warriors Waived Seth Curry Just Ahead of the Regular Season

The Curry brothers would be NBA teammates for the first time.

The Warriors waived Seth Curry ahead of the regular season / Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Warriors chose to unite Seth and Steph Curry when the franchise signed Seth to a one-year deal at the end of the September. On Saturday, the team announced that they waived Seth just ahead of their regular-season opener against the Lakers Tuesday.

While the transaction might seem odd, there's a reason the Warriors made the move now. According to Spotrac, Golden State is over the NBA's first salary-cap apron and has just above $2 million of room under the second apron. They are hard-capped at the second apron, since they are above the first apron and used their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Al Horford.

That means the Warriors can't go above the second apron, which they remain just under. Seth's veteran minimum contract would bring them over the second apron, so the team simply can't afford to roster him immediately. According to ESPN's Anthony Slater, there's an expectation that he will return to the team at some point in the first couple months of the season.

The minimum contract Seth will likely ink with the Warriors gets prorated if it's signed after the regular season starts, so the Warriors will presumably wait until the number is minimized enough to fit within their space under the second apron. He spent last season with the Hornets, where he averaged 6.5 points in 15.6 minutes per game and shot 45.6% from deep on 2.7 three-point attempts per game.

Once Seth officially joins the Warriors, it would become the first time the Curry brothers were teammates over their NBA careers. Golden State has an open roster spot, which Slater mentioned will remain vacant until Seth's anticipated return.

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