Warriors opt to bring back Gary Payton II on second 10-day contract
The Golden State Warriors signed 28-year-old Gary Payton II to a 10-day contract, and they’re now bringing him back for a second one. Payton II is the son of former Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton.
During his brief stint with the Warriors, he managed time in five games, averaging 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. Those aren’t awful considering he was given just 3.6 minutes per game. Payton did enough to get that second contract in the Warriors’ last outing against the Celtics.
The Golden State Warriors have given 6-foot-3 point guard Gary Payton II a second 10-day contract, bolstering their struggling backcourt.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater was the first to report the news, noting the play of Payton II against Boston, a game the Warriors ended up losing despite being up double figures for lengthy parts of the game.
The Warriors plan to sign Gary Payton II to a second 10-day contract, per source. He was a helpful defensive injection into the rotation last night in Boston.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 18, 2021
The Warriors are Payton’s fourth team in five seasons. He’s only spent time in separate seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards. The Warriors are the only team Payton has spent time with this season.
Payton will hope to make a name for himself in the Bay Area, but given their depth and Jordan Poole‘s consistency, it wouldn’t be shocking if he isn’t retained for the long-term future. He’s a good fit for now though.
But, after the Brad Wanamaker show didn’t work out, the Warriors have been looking for a consistent backup point guard. Payton isn’t what they had in mind, and he doesn’t have the scoring upside they could use.
He’s shown enough to stay with the team after his initial stint.
With Golden State not having many options at point guard after Poole and two-time MVP Stephen Curry, Payton sticking around wouldn’t be too crazy. I’d be shocked if he’s on the roster next season though.
Golden State knew they need help behind Curry. Wanamaker didn’t work out after they were going to make adding a backup point guard a priority last offseason. Expect it to again be a priority again.
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If that’s the case, it’d be shocking to then see Payton back.