The Warriors appear on track to reunite with two familiar faces for the 2025-26 NBA season.
Both Gary Payton II and De’Anthony Melton have committed to sign contracts with Golden State, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday, citing sources.
The Warriors also signed Will Richard to a four-year contract with two years fully guaranteed, Charania reported, citing his agents.
Payton II played five seasons with the Warriors across two different stints, first from the 2020-21 NBA season through the 2021-2022 campaign, before signing with the Portland Trail Blazers as a free agent in the summer of 2022 before he was traded back to Golden State at the trade deadline the very next season and has played with the Warriors ever since.
In 194 career games with the Warriors, Payton has averaged 6.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game on 59.2-percent shooting from the field and 35.3 percent from 3-point range.
Payton once again will provide the Warriors depth at the guard position behind superstar Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield.
Meanwhile, Melton, who has been rumored to return to Golden State all offseason, will pick up where he left off before suffering a season-ending ACL injury last year. Melton signed with Golden State last offseason but played in just six games before suffering the injury and later being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. In six games (two starts), Melton averaged 10.3 points on 40.7-percent shooting from the field and 37.1 percent from 3-point range, with 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.2 minutes.
In the two contests Melton started, he dramatically helped elevate the offense alongside Curry, averaging 16.5 points on 47.8 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from distance, with 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 26.5 minutes.
The Warriors were 4-2 with Melton in their lineup.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
Read the full article here
