Gary Payton II will be a free agent again when his 10-day contract with the Warriors expires on Wednesday night, and the team is still deciding on its next move, according to Drew Shiller of NBC Sports.
Golden State has already signed Payton to a pair of 10-day deals, which is the limit for a season, so it would have to give him a contract through the end of the season to keep him on the roster. That’s still a possibility, but it won’t happen right away, as coach Steve Kerr said:
“Gary practiced today, but he will not go on the trip. We are exploring our options as we wind down the season. There’s a chance that we would bring him back. That’s the hope. But we have some things to consider. The front office is going through their process, and we’ll see how it plays out.”
One thing the Warriors will consider is Payton’s effect on the luxury tax, points out Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. Once Payton’s contract expires, Golden State will be down to 13 players plus a pair of two-way deals. The team will have 14 days to add a player to get back to the league minimum.
Payton, 28, got into 10 games for the Warriors during his 20 days with the team. He averaged 2.5 points per game in just 4.0 minutes per night and had a team-best defensive rating of 101.1.
“Gary played really well,” Kerr said. “He’s somebody who we feel like we’d love to have back. He’s got to consider his own options as well. So, we’ll see how it works out.”
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