Gary Payton II Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Warriors Rumors, Lakers, Clippers

February 2nd, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Rory Maher

The Warriors aren’t interested in trading Draymond Green or Klay Thompson ahead of the February 8 deadline, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, but they might consider moving Chris Paul or Andrew Wiggins.

Former No. 1 overall pick Wiggins is having a disappointing year, but he’s played much better recently, while Paul, who is currently injured after undergoing hand surgery, is 38 years old and on a pseudo-expiring contract. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, head coach Steve Kerr said he was aware of Wiggins being mentioned in trade rumors, but he hopes he’s still on the roster late next week.

“I’m very hopeful and I expect him to be here when the trade deadline passes,” Kerr said, per ESPN.

As for Green and Thompson, Windhorst’s report isn’t surprising. While Shams Charania of The Athletic has said Stephen Curry will be the only Warrior off the table in trade talks, he also downplayed the possibility of a trade involving Green or Thompson, two longtime veterans who helped Golden State win four championships — and make six Finals appearances — from 2015-22. Other reporting indicated Curry would have to sign off on such a deal, which was always considered unlikely.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Appearing on 95.7 The Game’s Willard and Dibs show on Wednesday (Twitter link), Kerr said the Warriors might be better served by waiting for injured players to return rather than making trades. “We’re not going to find better players than (Chris Paul and Gary Payton II) in a trade,” Kerr said. “It’s exceedingly rare to make a deal where you can upgrade your talent to that level.” Payton has been out since January 2 with a grade 2 left hamstring strain. Kerr also mentioned Moses Moody as another injured contributor. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets, Moody will miss this weekend’s back-to-back, but he has a chance to return on Monday after being out since January 10 due to a left calf strain. Dario Saric is also out for at least Friday, as he’s away from the team with an illness.
After a major upset victory over the Celtics in Boston on Thursday without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Lakers guard Austin Reaves said the team responded well to James’ frustrated comments about “doing their jobs,” which occurred after Tuesday’s lopsided loss to Atlanta (YouTube link). Reaves scored a season-high 32 points (on 10-of-18 shooting, including 7-of-10 from deep) in Thursday’s win.
The Clippers had more total victories in December and January than any team in the NBA. Should they even make a trade? Law Murray of The Athletic explores that topic, writing that P.J. Tucker, Bones Hyland and Brandon Boston look to be the three most likely trade candidates, but L.A. may just stand pat.
Tucker expressed frustration with his role — or lack thereof — in December, and nothing has changed since. However, he’s 39, doesn’t contribute much on offense, and holds a $11.54MM player option for 2024/25, which all hurt his trade value. According to Murray, the veteran forward has been a positive locker room presence, particularly for Russell Westbrook and James Harden, but the Clippers forward admits he’s trying to balance being a professional “while trying to get in a better situation for me, personally,” he told The Athletic. “It kind of is what it is at this point.” Tucker expressed skepticism about the possibility of turning down his player option, making him an unlikely buyout candidate. “That all depends on the situation, timing, where,” Tucker said. “It’s a lot of things that plays into that. I worked hard to be able to get myself in that position. The contract I got, the timing I got it, and all that … it means a lot and something I don’t take for granted. It’s definitely going to take a lot of thought and it’s going to take a real, real opportunity for me to have to go against that.”

Warriors’ Moody, Payton To Miss More Time With Injuries

January 22nd, 2024 at 3:49pm CST by Rory Maher

Third-year Warriors wing Moses Moody has been cleared to resume “light individual on-court workouts” after missing the past 12 days with a grade 1 left calf strain, but he’ll be out for at least another week, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, Golden State announced (via Twitter).

Moody, 21, is averaging 8.7 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 18.0 MPG this season, with all of those figures representing career highs. The former 14th overall pick has appeared in 34 games in 2023/24, posting a .482/.358/.789 shooting line.

The Warriors also provided an injury update on veteran defensive ace Gary Payton II, who has been cleared for the same activities as Moody but will be sidelined for at least two more weeks. Payton sustained a grade 2 left hamstring strain on January 2 vs. Orlando.

Payton has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career, including being limited to just 22 games in ’22/23. The 31-year-old was a key member of Golden State’s championship run in ’21/22.

Gary Payton II Out At Least Three Weeks For Warriors

January 4th, 2024 at 5:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors guard/forward Gary Payton II is out at least three weeks — which is when he’ll be reevaluated — after sustaining a grade 2 left hamstring strain on Tuesday vs. Orlando, Golden State announced in a press release (via Twitter).

In just his second game back from a right calf strain that sidelined him for 13 contests, Payton exited Tuesday’s win in the third quarter due to the hamstring injury. He didn’t return to the game.

The injury occurred as Payton was defending Magic guard Cole Anthony while he brought the ball up the court. The Warriors guard fell awkwardly as he looked to avoid a screen set by Paolo Banchero (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area).

Payton has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career, including being limited to just 22 games in 2022/23. The 31-year-old defensive stalwart was a key member of Golden State’s championship run in ’21/22.

Payton is earning $8.7MM this season and holds a $9.1MM player option for ’24/25.

Warriors’ Gary Payton II Expected To Miss Several Weeks

January 3rd, 2024 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

3:11pm: Payton is expected to miss several weeks as a result of his hamstring injury, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

7:44am: In just his second game back from a right calf strain that sidelined him for 13 contests, Warriors guard Gary Payton II exited Golden State’s win over Orlando on Tuesday in the third quarter due to a strained left hamstring, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN.com. He didn’t return to the game.

The injury occurred as Payton was defending Magic guard Cole Anthony while he brought the ball up the court. The Warriors guard fell awkwardly as he looked to avoid a screen set by Paolo Banchero (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area).

Head coach Steve Kerr said after the game that he wasn’t sure yet about the severity of the injury and didn’t know how many games it might cost Payton. However, Anthony Slater of The Athletic says it’s “clear” the guard will miss another chunk of time.

“I feel bad for him, more than anything. I feel bad for us, too, but mainly for him,” Kerr said, per Andrews. “He makes such a big impact for us. So, fingers crossed that he’s not out for too long.”

Payton doesn’t provide much offensively for the Warriors, having scored double-digit points in just two of his 16 games so far this season. But he’s arguably the club’s strongest perimeter defender and is a key part of the rotation on the wing.

Golden State has a +5.3 net rating in Payton’s 261 minutes this season, compared to a -0.5 mark in the 1,338 minutes he hasn’t played.

“He’s such a big part of our team,” Warriors guard Chris Paul said. “People may not realize it, but his energy is consistent every day — every practice, every game. Him coming back has been huge for us. So I hope whatever it is isn’t going to take a long time. I think for him, it’s going to be about getting as healthy as possible.”

“He relieves so much pressure for us, as far as guarding,” Klay Thompson added. “I’m sure we’re going to miss him, but we just want to be healthy.”

Warriors’ Gary Payton II To Return On Saturday

December 29th, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors swingman Gary Payton II will be active for Saturday’s game against Dallas, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including Kendra Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link). Payton will be on an unspecified minutes restriction, per Andrews.

Payton has been sidelined since November 28, having missed the past 13 games with a right calf strain. He practiced on Wednesday, but missed Thursday’s loss to Miami. In 14 games this season (17.3 MPG), he has averaged 5.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 1.2 SPG on .479/.320/.667 shooting.

A 6’2″ guard whose athleticism and defensive skills allow him to slide up to forward at times, Payton has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career, including being limited to just 22 games in 2022/23. The 31-year-old was a key member of Golden State’s championship run in ’21/22.

It will be interesting to see how Kerr handles the rotation tomorrow. Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins are among the players who could see fewer minutes, assuming Payton plays.

Payton is earning $8.7MM this season and holds a $9.1MM player option for ’24/25. The Warriors have had an up-and-down season thus far and are currently 15-16, the No. 11 seed in the West.

Injury Notes: Brown, Doncic, Payton, Vincent, Nance, Heat

December 28th, 2023 at 3:52pm CST by Rory Maher

Celtics wing Jaylen Brown has been ruled out of Thursday’s game against Detroit due to a lower back contusion, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Brown sustained the injury on Monday against the Lakers after being accidentally kneed in the back by LeBron James. Both players were down in pain for a few minutes, but were able to return later in the contest.

Brown, who signed a five-year, super-max extension in the offseason, is averaging 22.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.1 SPG on .478/.335/.734 shooting in 28 games (33.8 MPG) this season for Boston.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

The Mavericks will be without Luka Doncic for Thursday’s game in Minnesota, as first reported by Marc Stein (via Twitter). Doncic is dealing with left quad soreness. As Stein notes, it’s the second game of a back-to-back for Dallas, which lost to Cleveland on Wednesday.
Warriors swingman Gary Payton II practiced on Wednesday, according to Jon Schultz of The San Francisco Chronicle. “He had a lot of energy today,” Trayce Jackson-Davis said of Payton. “Had a great practice, and we need them out there. Obviously our guard depth is a little shallow right now, and just having another defensive two-way guard on the floor is going to help us a lot.” However, Payton has been ruled out of Thursday’s contest vs. Miami, per the league’s official injury report. It will be the 13th consecutive absence for Payton, who has been battling a right calf strain.
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Wednesday and will be reevaluated in about eight weeks, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Jarred Vanderbilt is one of the players who will receive more minutes with Vincent out, Turner adds. “It obviously hurt. He’s a big component of what we do,” Vanderbilt said of Vincent. “Great player, great system player. So, obviously health comes first. So, we want him to get healthy. For us, it’s the next-man-up mentality. Continue to play the right way and have some guys step up in his absence.”
Pelicans big man Larry Nance Jr. has missed the past month after aggravating a rib fracture, but he’ll be active tonight against Utah, he told Christian Clark of NOLA.com and other media members (Twitter link). Nance has been limited to 14 games thus far in 2023/24.
The Heat have dealt with numerous injuries once again this season and will be shorthanded during Thursday’s contest in Golden State, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Jimmy Butler (left calf strain), Kyle Lowry (soreness), Caleb Martin (right ankle sprain) are all out, Josh Richardson (back discomfort) is doubtful, and Orlando Robinson is away from the team after being assigned to the G League.

Warriors Notes: Jackson-Davis, Green, Wiggins, Payton

December 23rd, 2023 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors appear to have gotten a major steal late in this year’s draft, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Weaving a separate but related agreement into the Chris Paul/Jordan Poole deal, Golden State sent Patrick Baldwin Jr. and cash to Washington for the 57th pick, which it used to select Indiana center Trayce Jackson-Davis, who has been indispensable, especially since Draymond Green‘s latest suspension.

Jackson-Davis showed the Wizards what they missed in their Friday night matchup, posting his third straight double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. He feels like he has something to prove to the rest of the league after sliding so far on draft night.

“Washington, I think, called me on draft day,” Jackson-Davis recalled. “Them and the Spurs called me and said, ‘We’re thinking about taking you early in the second. We’re probably going to get a pick.’ But it didn’t happen. Then all of a sudden my agent called and said the Warriors are trading for Washington’s pick.”

The Warriors have a numerical model that projected Jackson-Davis as a top-15 prospect and they considered him worthy of a first-round pick, Slater adds. Jackson-Davis said he heard that Golden State was trying to trade for another first-round selection after taking Brandin Podziemski at No. 19, but couldn’t find an acceptable deal until the draft was almost over.

Jackson-Davis added that teams began calling his agent around the 35th pick, but they all wanted him to accept a two-way contract. His insistence on a guaranteed deal caused him to stay on the board until nearly the end.

There’s more on the Warriors:

Green has missed more than five games during his indefinite suspension, which means Golden State can transfer him to the suspended list and sign a replacement player, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Memphis added Bismack Biyombo during Ja Morant‘s suspension, but salary cap concerns may make the Warriors less likely to follow suit — they already have an open roster spot.
Coach Steve Kerr likes his current rotation, but changes are still expected soon, per Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. After missing two games with an illness, Andrew Wiggins could be ready to return on Christmas Day, and Gary Payton II, who has been sidelined since late November with a strained right calf, recently began practicing again. Room will also have to be made for Green whenever he’s reinstated by the league.
Tim Kawakami of The Athletic re-examines the 2020 draft and explains why the Warriors opted for James Wiseman instead of Tyrese Haliburton. Head coach Steve Kerr said he thinks Haliburton was ranked fourth or fifth on Golden State’s board. “I was disappointed that they (had) the No. 2 pick because I felt like if they were anywhere out of the top three, I felt like I was going to be the pick,” Haliburton said.

Injury Notes: Jazz, Lakers, Sixers, Leonard, Payton, Clarke

December 21st, 2023 at 3:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz will be shorthanded for Thursday’s back-to-back in Detroit, with Lauri Markkanen (left hamstring — injury maintenance), Keyonte George (left foot inflammation) and Talen Horton-Tucker (left foot soreness) among the eight players who will be unavailable, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

Utah is just 2-13 on the road this season, but the team will be facing the Pistons, who have lost 24 straight games, two shy of the single-season record. If Detroit hopes to snap the skid in the near future, tonight certainly seems like a good opportunity.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) and Gabe Vincent are out for Thursday’s back-to-back in Minnesota, tweets Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet. Lakers center Anthony Davis (left ankle sprain/bone bruise), meanwhile, is questionable for the matchup against the West’s current No. 1 seed.
Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton exited Wednesday’s victory with a thigh contusion, but it’s not expected to be a serious injury, tweets Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Melton, Nicolas Batum (hamstring) and Robert Covington (illness) did not practice on Thursday, according to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). On the league’s official injury report, Melton is questionable for Friday’s matchup with Toronto, while Covington is probable and Batum has been ruled out.
He has yet to miss a game this season, but Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard popped up on the injury report ahead of Thursday’s back-to-back in Oklahoma City. He’s officially questionable with a left hip contusion.
Warriors guard Gary Payton II has been “making good progress” from his right calf strain and has been cleared to start “various forms of team practice,” the team announced (via Twitter). Payton, who has missed the past nine games, will be reevaluated again early next week, per the Warriors.
Grizzlies forward/center Brandon Clarke tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape he expects to return to action sometime around the All-Star break. A key rotation player for Memphis, Clarke has been sidelined since March 3 of last season after tearing his Achilles tendon.

Warriors’ Gary Payton II (Calf) Out At Least One More Week

December 7th, 2023 at 8:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors swingman Gary Payton II will miss at least one more week due to his right calf strain, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State announced that Payton is “making good progress” from the injury and he will be reevaluated next week, per Slater.

Payton, 31, is averaging 5.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 1.2 SPG in 14 games (17.3 MPG) thus far in 2023/24. He sustained the injury on November 28 against the Kings.

Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga figure to receive more minutes with the defensive stalwart sidelined, though all three players have seen their playing time fluctuate to this point.

Payton, who helped the Warriors win a championship in 2022, is making $8.72MM this season and holds a $9.13MM player option for ’24/25.

Golden State has had an uneven start to the ’23/24 season, currently sitting with a 10-11 record, good for the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference. That said, it’s obviously early, and the Warriors are only two games back of the current No. 6 seed, Sacramento.

Gary Payton II To Be Reevaluated In One Week

November 30th, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 30: Payton will be reevaluated in one week after an MRI confirmed a right calf strain, according to a release from the team (Twitter link via Andscape’s Marc J. Spears).

However, the injury will keep him out for longer than one week, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link), who says the Warriors are expecting to have a better grasp on the severity and timeline over the next week.

NOVEMBER 29: Warriors swingman Gary Payton II tore his right calf in Tuesday’s game and will be out of action indefinitely, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The injury occurred late in the third quarter when Payton attempted to go around a screen while defending Sacramento guard De’Aaron Fox, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Payton grabbed at his right calf and hopped around in pain before limping to the team’s locker room. An MRI conducted today revealed the full extent of the damage.

Payton has been an important part of Golden State’s rotation, appearing in 14 games and playing 17.3 minutes per night. He averages 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds, but his greatest impact is on defense as he collects 1.2 steals per game.

After playing a vital role in the Warriors’ 2022 championship, Payton signed with Portland as a free agent but was reacquired in February to help Golden State fix its struggling defense. He has a $9.13MM player option for next season.