Trail Blazers announce signing of Gary Payton II, and re-signing of Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic

Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II is pictured during the basketball team's practice, Wednesday, June 1, 2022, in San Francisco. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
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The Portland Trail Blazers announced the signing of guard Gary Payton II on Wednesday along with the re-signing of Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic.

Payton, along with forward Jerami Grant, acquired in a trade with Detroit, will be introduced on Thursday.

The Blazers agreed to a three-year deal with Payton that will pay him $28 million over three seasons. The 6-foot-3 Payton might be small in stature but he plays much bigger on defense and should fit in well with coach Chauncey Billups’ brand of defense.

Payton had a 102.3 defensive rating last season with the Warriors.

“We are excited to have Gary join us in Portland,” Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said in a statement. “Gary brings an elite defensive acumen and championship pedigree that will be essential to how we play basketball. His competitiveness and toughness will accent Coach Billups’ style of play.”

Simons, who was a restricted free agent, received a deal worth $100 million over four years. Nurkic, who was an unrestricted free agent, signed for $70 million over four years.

“It was incredibly important to us to bring back both Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons as key pieces of our core,” Cronin said. “Nurk’s physicality, rebounding prowess and defensive acumen make him an integral part of what we do on both sides of the ball. Anfernee is already one of the league’s top shooters and this past season he showed elite ability as a shot creator and distributor. We are excited for him to continue the growth he has shown in his first four seasons in Portland.”

The Blazers’ Anfernee Simons (from left), Jusuf Nurkic and Damian Lillard look on as the Portland Trail Blazers face the Utah Jazz in the 2021-22 season finale at the Moda Center on Sunday, April 10, 2022, in Portland. Photo by Naji Saker for The Oregonian/OregonLive

-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).

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