The Warriors righted a wrong at the trade deadline earlier this season, when they acquired Gary Payton II in a multi-team deal.
Though it came at the expense of James Wiseman’s future, Golden State is looking pretty smart right about now. It’s hard to conceive a scenario where coach Steve Kerr trusted Wiseman to make two starts in this second-round series against the Lakers and change the tenor of the entire matchup.
That’s the impact Payton has had in the past two games while being moved to the starting lineup. During his appearance on 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” Warriors president/general manager Bob Myers shared his thoughts on the reacquisition of Payton.
“We couldn’t keep him in the summer,” Myers told hosts Matt Steinmetz and Daryle ‘The Guru’ Johnson. “There’s certain guys that just help you win. It wasn’t as if we decided as a team or an organization that, ‘We don’t like Gary’ or ‘He can’t help us.’ It was clearly economic. Happy he got paid.”
Golden State was deep into the luxury tax this offseason and couldn’t cut Payton a market rate deal, as he inked a three-year, $26.1 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers in free agency. The loss was felt by Dub Nation, as Payton was a fan favorite with his high-energy playing style which compliments the stars on the team.
“You have to be blind not to see what he did for us last year,” Myers said. “Certain guys like Gary, they're just always part of the solution. You just put him out there and he helps you win. He’s a little unconventional, but he’s found a way to win with us.”
The Warriors were able to bring him back at the deadline by letting go of Wiseman and his escalating rookie deal.
The Warriors had to stay patient with Payton. He missed about two months of action after failing his post-trade physical with a core muscle injury. Payton got a seven-game runway before the postseason action started.
The defensive whiz has also been an efficient scorer the past two contests, averaging 14 points per game while making 11-of-14 (78.5 percent) of his shots from the field.
“Even in this series, didn’t he DNP (did not play) one of the games?” Myers said. “To now be starting, and giving us what he gives us, we always know when Gary’s on the floor. I was talking to Steve (Kerr) this morning and he had a great way of saying it, because we were talking about the game and talking about Gary. He said Gary’s kinda like a lockdown corner. Where if you put him on the best receiver, you kinda know they’re not gonna throw it over there too much.”
It’s rare that a franchise can correct a mistake, but the Warriors made the right decision to reacquire Payton and try to preserve another year of Steph Curry’s prime.
