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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on from the bench.
The Golden State Warriors are interested in re-signing free agent Gary Payton II, a key piece of their 2022 championship-winning team. However, the Warriors are reportedly in a bidding war with four other teams — the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat — for Payton’s services.
According to Forbes’ Evan Sidery, Payton, who remains one of the most coveted free agents, has generated interest from up to five teams, including the Warriors.
Gary Payton II has generated recent free agent interest from the Bucks, Heat, Lakers, Suns, and also a potential return to the Warriors.
Payton is one of the best remaining on-ball defenders in free agency. pic.twitter.com/o3JK9gfjY6
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 22, 2025
As Sidery noted, Payton II remains a coveted free agent due to his on-ball defensive ability, not to mention his versatility to defend multiple positions.
In the 2025 playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Payton did a tremendous job guarding Anthony Edwards, holding the All-Star to 5-of-15 shooting across 18:22 of matchup time. He also held Jalen Green (25%) and Fred VanVleet (33.3%) to subpar shooting percentages in the first-round series win against the Houston Rockets.
Warriors Already Lost Looney
If Payton II joins another team, he’d be the second Warriors free agent to go elsewhere this offseason, following Kevon Looney’s decision to join the New Orleans Pelicans.
Shortly after signing with the Pelicans, Looney revealed that he no longer felt valued by the Warriors, a realization he had during the playoff series loss against the Houston Rockets.
“It was no one moment,” Looney said on his decision to leave the Bay Area. “This year, we were going against [Houston center] Steven Adams, they [were] not giving me the chance to do what I do.
“I was like ‘alright, y’all don’t trust me. I thought y’all trust me. Y’all don’t think I’m really that good anymore?’ They put me in at the end of Game 7. Why did we have to get to that point?”
Kuminga Situation Holding Things Up
According to multiple insiders, the Warriors are widely expected to sign Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton, but have been unable to complete the transactions due to Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency.
“Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton are widely expected to sign with the Warriors, sources said. A handful of teams at NBA Summer League stated Horford and Melton already have verbal agreements in place with Golden State,” ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel wrote on X. “Jonathan Kuminga’s situation is holding these deals up.”
The fourth-year forward has several suitors but has yet to receive any official offer sheets, complicating matters for Golden State. Furthermore, the Warriors have been unable to execute a sign-and-trade transaction for Kuminga due to the limited salary cap space available around the league.
If the Warriors are unable to find Kuminga a new home, they could sign the Congolese forward to a short-term contract and explore trading him ahead of the February 2026 trade deadline, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
“I’m not sure he’s going to be able to muscle his way to a point where he gets the dollar amount that he wants, while also the Warriors get the trade package they want,” Slater said on July 12, via WarriorsWire. “…I just think all of the market dynamics at play will lead him back to the Warriors at a compromise contract, traded come December 15th, when they can trade the full value of that contract.”
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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