When the Warriors traded James Wiseman, it looked like they were grabbing draft capital. Instead, they were bringing back an old teammate.
Payton was a sensation for the Warriors last season, going from a preseason cut to a key piece of the rotation, playing more than 25 minutes in two Finals games. But he signed a three-year $28 million deal with Portland last summer, one Warriors owner Joe Lacob said the team “couldn’t entertain matching.”
That was likely due to the Warriors’ large luxury tax bill. But by exchanging his salary for Wiseman’s, the Warriors actually save some money this season, and a lot next year.
They also bring back an excellent point-of-attack defender, something the team has been sorely missing this season. Payton is also one of Steph Curry’s favorite teammates and most frustrating practice defenders. According to Payton, Curry would plead with team president Bob Myers not to let Payton leave, via NBCSports’ Taylor Wirth.
“We’ll see Bob Myers at the practice facility, and Steph will be like, ‘Don’t let that man go nowhere and have him guarding me in games. I don’t need that, Bob,'” Payton told reporters in May.
Suddenly the Warriors’ woeful bench has three plus defenders in Donte DiVincenzo, Jonathan Kuminga and Payton. And after having spent the last two years in the Warriors system, adjusting to a new team should be no problem.
It might look bad that the Warriors traded a former No. 2 pick just to get a guy they could have signed as a free agent. But Wiseman had no trade value last summer after not playing for over a year. Rather than doubling down on their draft mistake, the Warriors turned Wiseman into a player they can use now, while Curry and Klay Thompson are still elite.
Plus, they’ve made Jordan Poole very happy.
James Wiseman is gone. Gary Payton II is back. The Warriors suddenly look a lot more like last year’s championship team.
