The Golden State Warriors won their fourth title in eight years, cementing a dynasty after two down seasons due to injury. With Klay Thompson returning almost as good as he was when he got injured and Andrew Wiggins showing the world he deserved to be an All-Star, as well as Stephen Curry getting his first NBA Finals MVP, the team has its core for the next years.

The Dubs have a veteran core in place and a young core that's waiting to blossom. Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman are expected to get more meaningful minutes in the 2022-23 season, joining Jordan Poole as crucial young members of the roster.

Unfortunately, while Golden State locked up Kevon Looney on a new contract, several other key players left this summer. Otto Porter Jr. will be a tough loss after he played key minutes during the championship run. Nemanja Bjelica went back to Europe. But the player the Warriors will really miss is Gary Payton II, and some financial concerns got in the way of him returning.

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Gary Payton II is a player few fans thought would be a key piece in the Warriors' title run. After spending some time with the team, the former Oregon State prospect was waived prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. He later revealed he was applying for a job with the Warriors organization as a video coordinator, just to stay close to the team.

Shortly after waiving him, the team re-signed Payton and gave him what could have been his final shot in the league. He embraced the opportunity and excelled with Golden State.

Payton averaged a career-best 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds while also shooting 35.8% from beyond the arc. Although those numbers don't really stand out, Payton's biggest impact was on the defensive end, where he notched a team-best 1.4 steals per contest and played rugged defense against opposing stars.

That includes in the NBA Finals, where Payton got opportunities against the likes of Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And in Game 5, Payton had 15 points, five rebounds and three steals in a major win to give the Warriors the lead in the series.

The defensive-minded player really helped the team with his hustle and energy:

Payton was never scared to face big names on big stages. He was always ready to give 100%, no matter if it was a regular-season game or in the NBA Finals. Because of that, fans might not always see what he does on the stat sheet, but his opponents certainly do.

But every fairy tale has an ending. Payton ended up joining the Portland Trail Blazers on a three-year, $28 million deal because the Warriors didn't want to take on the extra luxury tax burden from paying up to keep him.

The Warriors did sign Donte DiVincenzo to help fill Payton's role. Although bringing NBA championship experience, DiVincenzo suffered an ankle injury in the 2021 playoffs, limiting him to only 42 games last season. He really struggled with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021-22 before showing some signs of life with the Sacramento Kings.

Golden State also has Kuminga, who can take some of the responsibility Payton had. Entering his second year in the league, Kuminga still does not have the experience and could still need some extra time learning before applying it on the court.

Overall, the Blazers got Payton on a steal of a contract. At the end of the next season, the Warriors might look back and see if saving some millions was worth losing someone who already knew his role and the system. His heart and defense will be missed, and now the Warriors will have to see if his replacements are ready to take the next step.