Getty Gary Payton II reacts to a play during a Golden State Warriors game.
The Golden State Warriors had a rough start to free agency, a key defensive stopper who was seen as one of their biggest offseason priorities. Then came the backlash.
Many fans and pundits took the Warriors and owner Joe Lacob to task for allowing guard Gary Payton II to slip away. After a breakout season with the Warriors, the 29-year-old agreed to sign a three-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers worth a reported $28 million, a price that critics believe the Warriors could — and should — have paid.
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Payton’s Exit Leads to Anger
After floating around the league for his first six seasons and spending long stretches in the G League, Payton found a home in Golden State last year. He was signed to the 15th and final roster spot as the season opened, but grew to become a key part of head coach Steve Kerr’s rotation. Payton averaged 7.1 points along with 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 17.6 per game, all while drawing some of the most difficult defensive assignments.
Given that the Warriors are deep in the luxury tax, it would have been very expensive for them to retain Payton, but many believe it would have been worth the price.
“Yes, the Warriors’ luxury tax bill is exorbitant,” tweeted Steve Berman of The Athletic. “But Gary Payton II came back from a broken elbow extremely early to immediately rejoin an NBA Finals rotation and gives them something no one else does. If they’re serious about repeating, they shouldn’t get cute here.”
Some believe the decision not to pay up for Payton indicated that the Warriors could be shifting their attention to wing Andrew Wiggins. While many insiders initially believed that Wiggins would be gone at the conclusion of his contract in 2023, Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the team is now looking into a max extension after what many consider the best season of Wiggins’ career.
But Warriors reporter Brian Witt believes the team could have still afforded both, and should not have let Payton walk.
“Stop referencing extensions for Wiggins and Poole as reason why it made sense for the Warriors to not keep GP2,” he tweeted. “They could have done all three, no problem. Like, seriously, no problem. They print money.”
Filling Payton’s Shoes
While it would be difficult for the Warriors to find another player who could match what Payton brought on defense, his departure will likely create more opportunities for a 2021 draft pick that flashed potential last season. As Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area speculated, wing Moses Moody could be the biggest beneficiary of Payton’s departure.
As the clock ticked down Thursday night, all signs pointed to Gary Payton II leaving.
He was a star in his role and will be a huge loss for the Warriors (via @MontePooleNBCS)
Johnson noted that Moody already picked up Payton’s minutes during the Western Conference Finals, when Payton was still out with a fractured elbow. Moody rose to the occasion, averaging 4.6 points in 12.8 minutes per game and doing his best to match Payton’s defensive intensity.
“The 6-foot-6 shooting guard/small forward has a 7-foot-1 wingspan and already plays very technically sound, and isn’t afraid to get on the ground for a loose ball,” Johnson wrote. “Not everything is seen in the box score, but watching the way he would put a hand in the face of Mavs star Luka Doncic shows how much the little things already matter to him.”
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