The Golden State Warriors still haven’t made any moves this offseason, and it appears Stephen Curry wants them to make one, in particular. NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson reports that Curry would like for the Warriors to bring back Gary Payton II.
“I’m told Curry has been in direct contact with Gary Payton II, pushing for the Warriors to bring the defensive ace back on a two-year deal,” Robinson stated.
Robinson claims that Payton wants to return to the Warriors as well. Draymond Green has also given his blessing to the signing.
Payton averaged 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Warriors in 2024-25. He has been with the team since 2021, apart from a brief stint with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022-23.
Payton, who went undrafted in 2016, had been an excellent defensive guard for the Warriors and played his part in the team winning the 2022 NBA championship. The 32-year-old wasn’t quite at his best last season, but the big names still want him back.
It was previously reported that the Warriors had already secured verbal commitments from Payton, Al Horford, and De’Anthony Melton. Those moves could only be finalized once Jonathan Kuminga’s contract situation was resolved, though, and it still hasn’t.
Robinson also stated that Horford has made a verbal commitment to the Warriors, so his signing does seem like only a matter of time. As for Payton and Melton, time will tell. It will be interesting to see who they bring in once Kuminga has been signed or traded away, as Curry has urged the Warriors to make moves that take them to the next level.
The Warriors took off last season after acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat and finished with a 48-34 record. They were one of the hottest teams in the NBA entering the playoffs, but the injury bug struck.
The Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets in seven games in the first round, but everything fell apart against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Conference Semifinals. Curry suffered a hamstring strain in Game 1 that would keep him out for the rest of the series.
Butler, meanwhile, seemed bothered by a pelvic contusion he suffered against the Rockets and wasn’t quite at his best. That led to the Warriors being eliminated in five games, and one wonders what might have been if not for the injuries.
Stephen Curry And Draymond Green Convinced The Warriors To Keep Gary Payton II In 2021
Robinson states that Curry and Green want the Warriors to bring Payton back, and if true, it won’t be the first time they have done it. Green revealed that they had convinced the Warriors to keep Payton back in 2021.
“I remember his 10-day [contract] ended, and you know where that 10-day ended at?” Green said during the podcast, with Payton sitting a few feet away listening to the whole thing. “That 10-day ended here in Boston. And he’s dapping all of us up like ‘Yo, it’s been great. I appreciate y’all.’
“I’m like ‘What are you talking about?’ And he’s like ‘My 10-day is up.’ I’m like ‘Dude, you’ll be here. See you later.’ And then I called Bob [Myers], Steph called Bob, we’re like ‘You can’t get rid of GP. Like, you got to bring him back. You see what he’s doing? You got to bring him back.’ And that was the start of all of this.”
The Warriors had signed Payton to a 10-day contract on April 8, 2021. A couple of days after it expired, he got another 10-day deal, and that was thanks to Green and Curry. The Warriors would later give Payton a deal through the following season as well, and it certainly proved to be the right decision.
