The Golden State Warriors captured their fourth NBA Championship over the last eight years last season. They defeated the Boston Celtics in six games to win the title. Early on during their playoff run, backup guard Gary Payton II played an important role for the Warriors.

He became one of the better defensive players on the team. Payton would guard the opposing best player at times. His length and athleticism are one of the key reasons why he excelled last season. Unfortunately for Golden State, that led to teams being interesting in the son of the Hall of Fame point guard. Eventually, GPII decided to leave the Warriors for the Portland Trail Blazers in free agency.

Recently, Payton II joined George Karl on the “Truth & Basketball with George Karl” podcast. They discussed a wide range of topics including why he left Golden State for Portland.

“Just a business deal. I had to take the money,” said Payton II.

Gary Payton II is a six-year veteran out of Oregon State. Despite logging just over 17 minutes per game last season, he was a serious contributor and extremely efficient. That came to a crashing end when he broke his elbow in the second round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The son of “The Glove” shot 61.6 percent from the field last season. He did however struggle from the free throw line, shooting just over 60 percent. Due to injuries to the Warriors backcourt, Payton II started 16 games, helping build his resume. The Blazers need help alongside Damian Lillard, particularly defensively. Payton II will be expected to back up Anfernee Simmons but will likely see many minutes than he did in the loaded Golden State rotation.