Golden State intends to bring back Gary Payton II on a one-year, $3.9 million contract, a move that would keep one of Steve Kerr's most trusted bench guards in place as the Warriors work through the final pieces of their roster. Marc Stein reported the deal is on track to be finalized this weekend, with the agreement following a month of mutual interest between Payton and Golden State.
The timing matters because Payton remains the kind of player Golden State has leaned on for years: a 33-year-old reserve who usually logs about 15 minutes a night, pressures the ball and gives Kerr a defender he trusts. In 2025/26, Payton appeared in 73 regular season games and posted career-best scoring numbers, averaging 7.5 points along with 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 15.6 minutes per game.
That production helps explain why the Warriors moved quickly. Payton has spent most of the past six seasons with Golden State, briefly left for Portland as a free agent in 2022, then returned at the 2023 trade deadline and stayed put. His one-year deal is also close to the minimum salary for this season, which is $3,876,529, while Golden State would carry a $2,449,421 cap hit on a minimum contract. Put another way, the signing nudges the Warriors to within roughly $5-6 million of their second-apron hard cap while they have 13 players on standard contracts.
Even with Payton back, the roster is not finished. Reporting last week said Golden State was still looking for a frontcourt player who can stretch the floor, and Kelly Olynyk and Georges Niang were identified as possible options. The Payton move helps stabilize the backcourt and preserves room to keep building, but it does not answer the bigger question of whether Golden State will use both remaining standard roster spots or leave the 15th spot open to start the season.
For now, the clearest sign is that the Warriors want Payton's defense, energy and familiarity back in the rotation before camp math gets any tighter. If the deal closes as expected this weekend, Golden State will have one fewer decision to make and one more reason to keep searching for size that fits beside it.
