The Golden State Warriors are bringing back Gary Payton II to fill the 15th and final roster spot ahead of the play-in tournament, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater. The deal is expected to extend beyond this season.
The Warriors also just converted Juan Toscano Anderson's two-way deal to a standard NBA contract, with Jordan Bell returning to take that two-way spot.
The Warriors brought in Payton earlier this season on a pair of 10-day deals, but they didn't sign him for the rest of the season right away. They have now decided to bring him back for bench depth as the postseason approaches, and it sounds like he'll have a chance to stick around moving forward.
Payton has appeared in 10 games for the Warriors in 2020-21, averaging 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 steals in 4.0 minutes per game. He's known as a defensive pest and even won 2021 Defensive Player of the Year in the G League.
While Payton likely won't play much when it matters, he's at least a gritty option to throw out there as a reserve. He'll always play hard and bring it on defense, and that energy can be nice to have if a jolt is needed on that end of the floor.
The Warriors are currently 37-33 on the season, which is good for eighth place in the Western Conference. They're currently slated for a play-in showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers, but there's still the possibility of falling back to the No. 9 seed behind the Memphis Grizzlies. The Dubs and Grizz are set to face off on Sunday to finish the season.
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