Golden State re-signs Payton II to one-year veteran-minimum contract
By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Golden State Warriors are bringing back two-way guard Gary Payton II for the 2026-27 NBA season, the franchise announced Aug. 3, 2026.
According to a Golden State offseason update, Payton II agreed to a one-year, USD 3.9 million veteran-minimum contract and is ready to run it back with his teammates.
Despite playing only 15.6 minutes per game last season, Payton led Golden State with a .583 field goal percentage and appeared in 73 regular-season games.
During the 2025-26 season, Payton II averaged 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists during his healthiest season in a Warriors uniform.
The son of NBA icon Gary Payton played a key role during the Warriors’ 2022 NBA championship run against the Boston Celtics.
After falling behind 0-2, Golden State inserted Payton II into the Game 3 rotation as head coach Steve Kerr attempted to change the complexion of the series with a small-ball lineup.
The move paid dividends as Payton II and Draymond Green wreaked havoc on Boston’s slower frontcourt.
Boston’s gamble to leave Payton II and Green wide open from downtown cost the Celtics the series, while a rejuvenated Stephen Curry went berserk in the final three games of the NBA Finals.
Payton II joined the Portland Trail Blazers a year later, but Golden State reacquired the left-handed energizer in the middle of the 2023 season.
Payton II became Golden State’s second major retention deal of the offseason following Green’s decision to return to the Warriors on a one-year, USD 27.7 million contract.
The Warriors are seeking a fresh start after being eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the final stage of last season’s NBA Play-In Tournament.
With Jimmy Butler sidelined for most of the 2025-26 season because of a torn right anterior cruciate ligament, Golden State struggled to regain its identity and hopes to redeem itself when the 2026-27 season begins.
The Warriors still have a championship-contending roster led by Green, Butler, Stephen Curry, Brandon Podziemski, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Moses Moody and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg.
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