Gary Payton II got himself back relatively healthy this season, appearing in 62 games for the Golden State Warriors after injuries limited him to just 51 combined outings in the previous two years.
Yet whether Payton has done enough to earn a new contract in the Bay remains to be seen, with the fan-favorite guard set to hit free agency after the completion of his three-year, $27 million deal initially signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022.
The Warriors have an obvious call to make on Gary Payton II
Payton remains an impactful role player for Golden State, but he might not be the same game-changing perimeter defender that made him such a valuable piece of the 2022 championship team, and that ultimately earned him a big pay day straight after.
The 32-year-old averaged 15.0 minutes per game this season, posting 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.8 steals per game. Payton had a stretch after the All-Star break where he got hot from 3-point range, but otherwise still shot just 32.6% from deep for the season as opposing teams continued to leave him wide open.
It's that major offensive limitation that could prevent Payton from getting another multi-year deal in free agency, or at least from the Warriors who need to try and prioritize their offense after ranking 16th during the regular season.
That's not to say that Golden State should just discard Payton and not look to re-sign him, but they need to make the call that a one-year, veteran minimum contract is all that he's worth on this iteration of the roster.
If Payton feels disrespected by that and walks to another team as a result, then so be it. Perhaps he draws a bigger deal elsewhere from someone in need of more perimeter defense, but the Warriors should let that rival team take the risk on a player who is largely unproven outside the Steve Kerr system.
Golden State drew major backlash for not matching Portland's offer in 2022, yet that was on the back of a championship in which Payton was a critical part. It's a different situation this time around -- the Warriors need to re-tool rather than maintain, and ideally need to find some offensive juice if they want to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the league.
If letting go of Payton is an avenue to doing that, then it's a heart-breaking but clear call they may need to make even before free agency officially begins.