Gary Payton II

Gary Payton II, 29, emerged as a defensive ace off the bench last season for the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors have had a quiet free agency period. What is available for them to do?

Probably the best for the Warriors to add talent is through the trade market. They have a lot to offer for quality veteran help, and they won't be able to find the same caliber of player through minimum signings on the free agency market. But the Warriors probably wouldn't be interested. Finding a player on the minimum to replace those minutes would have saved the Warriors tens of millions of dollars, but it would almost surely have been a downgrade in talent. The Warriors can bring back their own free agents like Kevon Looney and Damion Lee if they want to dip into the luxury tax. The Warriors also drafted Patrick Baldwin Jr. in the first round.

After bouncing around the league since his rookie season in 2016-17, Payton finally found a fit in Golden State that allowed his game to flourish. Viewed as a ...

He was successful in matchups against some of the league's best big men, such as MVP Nikola Jokic, and the fact that he added a little more shooting to his offensive arsenal (35.8% from 3 on 1.7 attempts per game) made him a more well-rounded player. Payton, who spent the past two seasons with the Golden State Warriors, is expected to join the Blazers on a three-year, $28 million deal, sources told ESPN's Marc J. Spears. The Warriors offered Payton the taxpayer mid-level exception, sources told Spears. Gary Payton II is finalizing a multi-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, his agent, Aaron Goodwin, confirmed to ESPN.

Gary Payton II agreed to a three-year, $28 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers late Thursday, according to reports.

Payton II evolved from defensive specialist to a critical role player in the second half of the season. Report: Blazers, Gary Payton II agree to three-year deal Back to video Report: Blazers, Gary Payton II agree to three-year deal

When the Warriors selected Moody with the No. 14 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the freshman out of Arkansas was seen as the more pro-ready prospect between ...

The expectation already was that Moody would take a leap and see his role expand in Year 2. Moody was praised all season long for his poise, maturity, work ethic and being able to stay ready as a rookie. His impact was seen more than ever when the Warriors almost pulled off a wild 29-point comeback against the Mavs in Game 4 with the backups and role plays taking over. Not everything is seen in the box score, but watching the way he would put a hand in the face of Mavs star Luka Doncic shows how much the little things already matter to him. Where he really stood out was the other side of the ball. Instead of watching Payton guard Portland stars like Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons up and down the court, now the Warriors will have to face the feisty guard three times a season.

The Warriors lost two of their best bench players less than 24 hours into the free agency period. On Thursday night it was Gary Payton II signing a ...

Gary Payton II has agreed to a deal with the Trail Blazers. Here's why he's poised to be a major loss for the Warriors.

Payton took that evolution to new heights in 2021-22, making his palpable impact felt all over the floor as an undersized wing who readily toggled between playing like a center and point guard. Payton also hit a sterling 59% of his tries from floater range, supplementing powerful forays to the rim with soft touch just outside the basket. Don’t be surprised if he fails to live up that status with the Blazers. Both Curry and Green are one of one, offensive and defensive engines that drive sustained team-wide success. But a truly life-changing season wasn’t the byproduct of some rippling major skill improvement or significant change in his overall approach. Iguodala’s playing days may be over, while Green and Thompson are already on the wrong side of 30. Klay Thompson suddenly morphed back into a stopper during the latter half of the NBA Finals. Moody had his number called as a defensive sub against the Dallas Mavericks, and Kuminga boasts the physical chops to some day check four positions at a borderline elite level.

And it starts with Moses Moody. When the Warriors selected Moody with the No. 14 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the freshman out of Arkansas was seen as the more ...

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The Golden State Warriors just lost one of their most beloved stars in NBA free agency. Gary Payton II was just signed to the Portland Trail Blazers with a ...

While he should be expected to start ahead of Cook and lead Bills backs in playing time while ceding some ground to the rookie in the passing game, there is a difference between that and a notable extension. A former first-round pick of the Braves, he struggled to throw strikes as a starter but looked to have a found a home in the bullpen by 2020. The Mets have been able to maintain their lead in the National League East with a 22-15 record in the 37 games since Scherzer strained his oblique on May 18. Earlier in June, an MLB insider reported that Scherzer was a possibility to start last Sunday’s game against the Marlins in Miami. The 37-year-old didn’t return on that date. The Reds and Sims failed to come to an agreement on an arbitration salary over the winter, and the sides went to an in-season hearing. While all eight pitchers on the list for the worst first five inning ERA are all struggling this year to say the least, German Marquez stick out as the one whose total ERA is somehow better than his first five inning ERA. He sports a total ERA of 5.89, but that drops to 6.52 in the first five innings. On Friday, Max Scherzer told reporters that he will return to the mound on Tuesday against the Reds in Cincinnati for his first major league start since mid-May. Scherzer further told reporters that the plan is for him to throw around 90 pitches in six innings, but that could change depending on how he feels. He’ll remain on the IL all year but will have to be reinstated to the 40-man roster at the start of the offseason. A big offseason in the summer of 2021 that included the additions of DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball to an already talented starting five with LaVine and Nikola Vucevic elevated expectations in Chicago and helped the Bulls get off to a fast start in the fall. Cincinnati placed Sims on the IL again in mid-May, and he was transferred to the 60-day version last month. Joe Osborne of Vegas Insider tweeted out the best and worst first five inning pitchers in the Majors so far in 2022: Top First Five Pitchers in MLB Tony Gonsolin of the Los Angeles Dodgers tops the list for first five inning ERA. This one should come as no surprise, as Gonsolin spots a 1.58 total ERA for the season. "Our priority is focused on the man Jaylon was and the positive impact he made on so many as a father, son, fiancé, friend and teammate," the Ravens said in a statement shared by media outlets on Friday. "It would be inappropriate for us to comment further while we continue to support his family and teammates, who are mourning the tragic loss of a loved one and will celebrate his life [Saturday]."

Gary Payton II sent segments of Dub Nation into a frenzy with an IG story on Friday but he later clarified it wasn't a shot at the Warriors.

That shouldn't diminish the love that goes both ways. Payton became so valuable to the Warriors for his defense and energy on offense that he was an integral part of their rotation throughout the season. The Warriors, though, brought him back as the 15th man on the roster, signing him for just over $1.9 million.