Jordan Bell posts farewell message to Warriors, fans on Instagram

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After two rocky seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Jordan Bell is off to Minnesota.

The former second-round draft pick agreed to a guaranteed contract with the Timberwolves last week, and the Warriors decided not to match the offer, allowing Bell to leave.

On Monday, Bell said his farewell to the Warriors and DubNation with a lengthy post on Instagram.

Bell was among the many roster casualties in the wake of Kevin Durant joining the Brooklyn Nets. With the Warriors acquiring All-Star point guard D'Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade with the Nets, they are hard-capped. Along with Bell, the Warriors have parted ways with Andre Iguodala, Damian Jones and Quinn Cook. Center DeMarcus Cousins was not retained in free agency.

During his rookie season, Bell averaged 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 57 games, and helped the Warriors win their second straight NBA title and third in four years. But the Oregon product took a step back this past season. He saw his playing time go down and averaged just 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 68 games.

In an interview with the Bay Area News Group last week, Bell explained that head coach Ryan Saunders drew him to Minnesota.

“He was telling me the kind of player he thinks I can be,” Bell told Mark Medina in a phone interview. “When a head coach tells you stuff like that, it makes you feel good to be wanted. I think we can do something special over there, especially with the young coach that we have.”

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The Warriors had high hopes for Bell after they purchased his draft rights from the Chicago Bulls in 2017. But he never was able to reach his potential on a star-studded team. Hopefully for the 24-year-old, he can shine on a team that's not in the spotlight.

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