Around the Beat: The Preseason Verdict Everyone Reached Together
Beat writers spent the week agreeing on two things: Yaxel Lendeborg was the preseason's biggest winner, and the roster Golden State just finalized was never really in doubt.
Golden State waived Alex Toohey, Dalen Terry and Tyler Burton on October 18, a move Hoops Rumors had flagged two days earlier and that Golden State of Mind and Warriors.com both covered as a formality. The same week's coverage settled on Lendeborg as the preseason's clearest standout, with Draymond Green's passing drawing a second round of attention.
Three cuts, zero drama
Hoops Rumors reported October 17 that the Warriors planned to waive Dalen Terry; the move became official the next day alongside Alex Toohey and Tyler Burton, confirmed independently by Warriors.com and RealGM. Golden State of Mind's Sean Keane called the cuts unsurprising, and the roster math backs that read. Terry, Toohey and Burton were fringe contributors on Exhibit 10 or minimum money, not pieces competing for rotation minutes once Golden State's $223.3 million payroll and ten rotation regulars were set.
The name every outlet kept landing on
Dalton Johnson reported Lendeborg led the Warriors in scoring and rebounding across the preseason, 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds a game, shooting 56.9 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three in under 24 minutes. His 17-point game against the Lakers on October 13 matches that profile. For a rookie on a roster this thin up front, that is a real claim on minutes once games count.
Draymond's case, by the numbers
The same reporting credited Green with 25 assists against six turnovers across four preseason games, a 4.2 ratio, plus 19 rebounds and eight steals. At 36 and entering year 14, that is the version of Green this team still needs: a connector who does not need a scoring role to matter.
One note the injury list hasn't caught up to
Johnson also reported Brandon Williams was a late scratch in the preseason finale with lower back tightness. Golden State's own injury report lists only Porzingis, Butler and Moody out right now, so Williams' tightness has not yet hardened into a formal designation. Worth watching before the opener, not yet worth treating as a diagnosis.
Did the Warriors officially waive Dalen Terry, Alex Toohey and Tyler Burton?
Yes. Warriors.com and RealGM both confirmed the October 18 cuts, which Hoops Rumors had reported as the plan a day earlier.
Who was the Warriors' breakout player in the preseason?
Yaxel Lendeborg, who led the team in scoring and rebounding while shooting better than 56 percent from the field and 43 percent from three.
