In contrast to fellow veteran champion Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II has been willing to wait on the Golden State Warriors as they continue to play their waiting game with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
Payton, along with the likes of Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton and Seth Curry, have all been held up by Kuminga’s status now well over six weeks since free agency begun. Yet there’s still a roster crunch to be had once the Kuminga situation plays out, potentially leaving the Warriors needing to say a heart-breaking goodbye to Payton in the near future.
Gary Payton II will have to depart the Warriors if Will Richard is signed
If Kuminga comes back either on a new contract (as Golden State hope) or via the $7.9 million qualifying offer, the front office will have up to five (but most likely four) roster spots still to fill. Horford and Melton appear like two locks, while the Warriors continually to be strongly linked to the younger Curry in a union of the real splash brothers.
Payton could be the fourth addition, yet so too could 56th overall pick Will Richard who was floated as a main roster addition by ESPN’s Anthony Slater during a report on Kuminga’s future on Friday.
Some of the latest on the seven-week stalemate between Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors from NBA Today pic.twitter.com/XZgd8W5WtB
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) August 15, 2025
Golden State could technically use all 15 spots by signing both Payton and Richard, but that would appear unlikely for multiple reasons. Firstly, the Warriors usually have a tendency to only roster 14 players in order to save dollars on their exorbitant payrolls, and having one of them seems like overkill on the guard position let alone having both.
Therefore, if the Warriors do sign Richard to a standard contract, they really have no choice but to say a difficult goodbye to Payton as brutal as that may be given he’s been a fan-favorite and championship winner, not to mention his patience across the offseason to date.
Perhaps they could stick with him instead of signing Curry, but that would seem unlikely given the need for shooting on the roster and the familial relationship the 34-year-old has with the franchise’s greatest ever player.
Payton averaged 15 minutes per game with the Warriors last season and posted 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and nearly a steal, but his time with the franchise where he built his reputation as one of the league’s best perimeter defenders may be coming to a quiet and disappointing end.