Report: Gary Payton II Drawing Interest From Portland Trail Blazers
The Golden State Warriors are losing some of their role players bit by bit as the off-season unfolds. The newest player that's drawing a bit of interest is Gary Payton II.
According to a report from Jake Fischer, Gary Payton has drawn a strong offer from the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers have the highest contract at roughly $8 million, however, Payton still has mutual interest in returning to Golden State.
Gary Payton II is only currently making around $1.9 million, so an $8 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers would be a significant upgrade for him. His situation sounds similar to that of Isaiah Hartenstein with the Clippers, where he truly wanted to return back to the team, but the offers he was receiving are just too high to pass up.
Payton played a significant role during the regular season for the Warriors. He played in 71 games, started in 16, and averaged 17.6 minutes a game. Beyond just his numbers, Payton was one of the premier defenders on the Warriors that helped galvanized their fantastic defense all regular season. He didn't receive much playing time after his injury when returning to the NBA Finals, but that shouldn't downplay just how significant he was during the regular season for the Golden State Warriors. We will likely see a decision soon on where he lands.
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