Warriors Champion Gary Payton II Reacts to Re-Signing With Team

The 32-year-old guard is entering his sixth overall season with the team.

Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) warms up before game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center. | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors are retaining a key role player and defensive presence.

Gary Payton II's second stint with the Warriors has been highlighted by a 2022 NBA championship. Payton II's defensive presence has been a crucial part of the Warriors' support squad coming off the bench for the team since he joined the team in the 2020-21 season.

Now, his tenure will continue. The Warriors announced on Monday that Payton II had re-signed with the team, an early move for the Warriors to make as they wrestle with the status of Jonathan Kuminga's contract negotiations.

Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) looks at LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the first quarter at Chase Center. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Payton II is Glad to Be Back

The signing came just in time for the Warriors' media day and Payton II made an appearance, speaking on the contract publicly for the first time. According to Payton II, it wasn't a certainty that he was going to re-sign, but that there wasn't anywhere else he would have wanted to be.

In a post on X by Sam Gordon of the San Francisco Chronicle, Payton II was quoted as saying that "it would have been hard," to leave the Warriors, “but there’s always different scenarios and stuff."

Officially re-signed by Golden State this morning, Gary Payton II is ready for his 10th season. Said “it would have been hard” to sign elsewhere “but there’s always different scenarios and stuff. So, thank God they didn’t come about.” Focused this summer on building his body: pic.twitter.com/AOW3YhRTGA

— Sam Gordon (@BySamGordon) September 29, 2025

Doubling down on his commitment to Golden State, in regard to those "different scenarios" Payton II said, "Thank God they didn't come about."

Gordon's post also said that Payton II has been building his body over the summer, possibly adding additional strength and physicality to both Payton II's game and the overall Golden State bench rotation. He also dealt with a fair share of injuries last season, and the effort of building his body could be an investment in his physical longevity as well.

Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) saves the ball from going out of bounds against the Memphis Grizzlies in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Payton II's Strengths and What His Signing Means

In the 2024-25 season, Payton II averaged 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.8 blocks per game while totaling an average of 15 minutes per game. Payton II predominantly came off the bench for Golden State, but also made his fair share of starts, finding his way into the starting lineup 11 times last season.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) dribbles the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Warriors are gearing up for a big offseason to rebuild their roster, which has so far been slowed down by negotiations with Kuminga. The retention of Payton II, a fan-favorite guard known for his defense, is the first of what the Warriors hope is many steps this offseason in bolstering their roster.

Among the many players the Warriors are looking to add to their squad once Kuminga is settled are De'Anthony Melton and Al Horford, who have both reportedly made verbal commitments to the team, even if there's no ink on paper yet.