On October 7, Miles Kelly came off the Golden State bench and scored 24 points with six three-pointers against Portland. Five days later the Warriors waived him.
The corresponding move was signing forward Tyler Burton to an Exhibit 10 contract, with the transaction detail attributed to Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Why a Good Game Did Not Matter
This is a roster-mechanics story, not a basketball evaluation.
Golden State’s three two-way slots are full. That means an Exhibit 10 deal, which can be converted to a two-way or a standard contract, was the only mechanism available to add anyone. Adding Burton required opening a spot, and Kelly was the one who lost it.
Kelly, 23, is 6-foot-4 and from Stone Mountain, Georgia. He played at Georgia Tech from 2021 to 2024, transferred to Auburn for 2024-25 and went undrafted in 2025. Dallas gave him a two-way deal in July 2025 and he appeared in 14 games, averaging 3.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists before being waived March 1. He played for the Texas Legends and Santa Cruz in the G League, was on San Antonio’s summer league roster, and signed his Exhibit 10 with Golden State in September.
What Burton Brings
Burton is a 6-foot-7 forward who spent last season on the fringes in Memphis. He signed two 10-day contracts and played 12 NBA games, averaging 10.8 points and 4.2 rebounds on 37.5 percent shooting and 33.3 percent from three. The Grizzlies declined to give him a two-way spot.
His G League production is the reason Golden State is interested. In 43 games with the Memphis Hustle he averaged 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals. He averaged 5.6 points across nine summer league games in 2026.
The positional logic is obvious. Golden State needs wing depth with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody unavailable to start the season and Kristaps Porzingis uncertain. Burton is 6-7. Kelly is 6-4.
Where Both Players Land
Both Kelly and Burton were expected to end up with the Santa Cruz Warriors for the G League season. Burton joins a forward rotation there that includes Dalen Terry and Alex Toohey.
Exhibit 10 deals exist largely for this purpose: they give a team an affiliate claim on a player while preserving the option to convert him if he forces the issue.
The Deadline Driving All of It
October 19 is the last day teams can convert an Exhibit 10 into a two-way contract. Any Exhibit 10 player still on a roster after that date automatically converts to a standard non-guaranteed deal, which teams generally do not want.
That same day is the roster cutdown to a maximum of 15 standard contracts and three two-ways. October 17 is the last day a team can waive a player on a non-guaranteed deal and owe none of his salary, which is why most cuts land there.
Expect more of these moves across the league this week.
One More Warriors Decision
Steve Kerr settled a different question Monday by naming Brandon Williams the backup point guard. Williams signed a one-year, $2.6 million non-guaranteed deal this offseason after a career year in Dallas, and he averaged 14.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.5 turnovers across four preseason games.
“This is a great step for Brandon,” Kerr said, before adding the caveat: “But he’s got to recognize he is the backup point guard.”
Golden State opens the regular season October 21 at the Lakers.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.