Warriors’ Gary Payton II picks up the 2024-25 player option.
Warriors guard Gary Payton II has exercised his player option for the 2024-25 season, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN. While most player-option decisions are due on June 29, Payton’s deadline for opting in was June 19.
The arrangement guarantees Payton a $9.13 million salary for next season, putting him on course for unrestricted free agency in 2025 if he does not sign a contract extension before then. He will be eligible for an extension for the entire 2024-25 league year, which begins in July.
Payton, a stalwart perimeter defender, averaged 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 15.5 minutes per game during 44 appearances off the bench for the Warriors last season, with a shooting line of.563/.364/.609.
The 31-year-old has been plagued by ailments in recent years, appearing in only 66 regular-season games since playing 83 overall contests (71 regular season, 12 playoffs) for Golden State’s title-winning club in 2021-22.
At the end of the Warriors’ season in April, Payton stated a desire to stay with the team and mentioned the potential of “redoing” his contract.
This fueled rumors that he may decline his option to accept a longer-term contract with a lower starting salary, providing Golden State some more short-term cost space. However, while that possibility was considered, the numbers did not make sense for both parties, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Payton’s decision to opt in means the club will have to account for his $9 million+ cap charge, bringing the team’s salary closer to the luxury tax level.
The Warriors currently have $137 million in guaranteed money on the books for eight players in 2024-25. That amount excludes the $5 million non-guaranteed piece of Kevon Looney’s contract, Chris Paul’s $30 million non-guaranteed salary, and a possible deal for free agent swingman Klay Thompson. The luxury-tax line for next season is expected to be just north of $171 million.
As Slater points out, Payton’s opt-in does not guarantee he will play next season in Golden State, as his expiring deal may be a valuable salary-matching piece in a trade.
However, as long as he is healthy, the veteran guard is the team’s greatest backcourt defender and a crucial role player, with a +5.8 net rating that ranked second among Warriors regulars in 2023-24, according to Slater.
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