Gary Payton II open to Warriors return, but there’s a catch

The Golden State Warriors are coming off a tough 118-94 NBA Play-In Tournament loss to the Sacramento Kings. Questions about many players’ futures on the team arose after the defeat. Nevertheless, Gary Payton II has taken a decisive stance about his contract with Golden State ahead of the NBA free agency period.

Payton wants to return to the Warriors, but the catch is he has a player option for the next season and is willing to renegotiate his contract to free up money for the team.

“I would love to come back and run it back. Better yet, just redo my whole deal and stay here for a little bit longer. We’ll figure it out,” Payton said, per Marc J. Spears.

Payton finished his fourth season with Golden State in 2023-24. He averaged 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and shot 36.4% on three-pointers in 44 games. A season prior, Payton only played seven games with the Warriors due to a torn calf injury. He had just come off a 15-game stint with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Payton’s stats may not be eye-popping, but is a significant presence for Golden State. After joining the team during the 2020-21 season, Payton made an impeccable impact the following year. He amassed a career-high 7.1 points and 1.4 steals in 71 games. More importantly, he helped the Warriors win their fourth NBA championship during the summer of 2022.

It will be interesting to see how the Warriors handle Gary Payton II’s contract ahead of many pivotal off-season decisions. Most notably, Klay Thompson’s NBA free agency decision will partially determine how the franchise proceeds with its stars.

Thompson will be an unrestricted free agent, as his $43.2 million contract is expiring. Like Payton, Thompson has expressed a desire to stay with Golden State, but is keeping him on the roster best for the team?

Warriors contemplate big decisions after disappointing postseason exit

Thompson has the support of Golden State’s franchise player. After Tuesday night’s loss to the Kings, Stephen Curry admired the way Thompson handled the season, despite his poor zero-point performance.

“Everybody’s gonna talk about one game and I know he wanted to play better, but we go through so much over 82 games, and the fact that he was able to turn his season around with a new role, adjusting to coming off the bench for a long period and then back in the starting lineup, really just having fun playing basketball and being at peace out there,” Curry said, per ClutchPoints’ Jack Winter.

“I’m more worried about that because I know he’s a true champion, and we all prepare ourselves to play our best when the lights are bright. When it doesn’t happen, nobody needs to tell you anything. Because all we wanna do is win. Numbers aside, that’s the only thing that matters,” Curry added.

Klay Thompson’s slump extends past his Play-In performance against the Kings. The 34-year-old put up 17.9 points per game and shot 38.7% on threes in 2023-24, both of which were below his career averages.

Nevertheless, Curry is not concerned with Thompson’s dip in production. As long as Thompson plays his role and helps the team win Curry is satisfied.

All in all, it will be interesting to see how Golden State handles its crucial contracts going into the 2024 NBA free agency period.