Warriors Rumors: Gary Payton II to Sign 2nd 10-Day Contract with GSW
The Warriors are bringing back Gary Payton II.
According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Dubs plan to sign him to a second 10-day contract.
The 28-year-old Payton has made a mark in his short stint with the Warriors, appearing in four games with the team and scoring 10 points while nabbing four steals in a nine-minute appearance during a 147-109 over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
"He was fantastic," Steve Kerr told reporters after that game. "My assistant coaches have been telling me when we put him in, we're not going to want to take him out because of his defense. Now I see it. He was all over the place. He's got great hands [and] anticipation. Who knows what's going to happen rotation-wise, but he was very impressive."
Draymond Green was equally impressed.
"He's always had a defensive reputation. He was great out there," he said. "That's his real first opportunity since coming in a 10-day and he took total advantage of it. Anytime you got dog like he got, you give yourself a chance. It was incredible to watch."
He's given the Dubs a nice boost off the bench, though he's averaged just 3.6 minutes per game with the team.
Minutes may be hard to come by, but Payton clearly proved to Golden State that he deserves another look. If he continues to impress, the journeyman guard—he's appeared in games for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards and now the Dubs since joining the league in the 2016-17 season, generally as a deep reserve—may stick.
