Gary Payton II Signs Warriors Contract After Stint with GS Earlier in Year

Gary Payton II has returned to the Golden State Warriors. 

Golden State announced Sunday that Payton II signed a contract for the remainder of the season after The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported the agreement on May 13. 

Payton signed two 10-day contracts with the Warriors last month, but the team was unsure about bringing him back for the remainder of the season when his previous deal ended April 28. 

“We are exploring our options as we wind down the season," head coach Steve Kerr told reporters about Payton's status at the time. "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.”

The Raptors 905 selected Payton with the 15th pick in the 2021 NBA G League draft on Jan. 11. He averaged 10.8 points on 55.5 percent shooting to go with 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 steals per game and was named G League Defensive Player of the Year. 

Payton will take the final spot on Golden State's roster when his deal becomes official. The 28-year-old played sparingly in 10 games with the Warriors, though he did record a season-high 14 minutes in his final appearance on April 27 against the Dallas Mavericks. 

The Warriors (38-33) hold the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and have clinched a berth in the play-in tournament. They will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday to wrap up the regular season.