Gary Payton II is in the midst of his sixth season with the Golden State Warriors, and while he has a lot of love for the franchise, he might jump ship in one scenario. Payton II recently sat down for an interview with The Athletic’s Nick Friedell, where he stated that he’d ask for a trade if Seattle gets an NBA team.
“Request a trade to Seattle,” Payton II said. “Probably.”
Of course, Payton II’s father, Gary Payton, spent the first 12 and a half seasons of his illustrious NBA career with the Seattle SuperSonics. The younger Payton was born and raised in Seattle as a result and has a lot of love for the city.
“Respectfully. I love it here so much. But if we do (have a Seattle team) when I’m still here, I definitely want to go back and play there,” Payton II added.
Seattle lost the SuperSonics in 2008, with the franchise relocating and becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder winning the 2025 NBA championship definitely would have stung the fans in Seattle, but some good news might come their way soon.
It has long been rumored that Seattle and Las Vegas would be the favorites to get teams if the NBA expands. We got a rough timeline regarding an announcement when Commissioner Adam Silver revealed before the 2025 NBA Cup final that he expects to have an answer on whether expansion will move forward at some point in 2026.
Then, after the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LX, Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend reported that the NBA Board of Governors will likely be voting on this subject in the summer.
“Think it’s going to be an extra-great year for Seattle. I’m hearing NBA Board of Governors likely to vote on expanding by two teams this summer and Las Vegas and Seattle are favored.”
Payton II will be on the lookout for some good news. While the announcement could come in the summer, it remains unclear when the teams could potentially be added. The 33-year-old hopes it’s sooner rather than later.
Payton II, who went undrafted in 2016, remains a quality role player in the NBA today. He is a fine defensive guard who is averaging 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Warriors in 2025-26. Payton II won an NBA championship with them in 2022 and has become a fan favorite. He is going to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, but you’d imagine the Warriors will bring him back.
