What a surprise; https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40386828/gary-payton-ii-opts-91m-option-next-season-sources-say "Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II has opted into his $9.1 million player option for the 2024-25 season, sources told ESPN." Can't believe Cronin signed him to that deal and can't believe he traded him away for anything of value.
Joe pritchslapped GSW a good one. We're told the Dubs are not concerned about salaries. But now we hear Klay Thompson is too expensive, and the rumor mill grinds out Wiggins and CP3 trades when applicable.
I do not consider that ass clown an ex-Blazer he used Cronin for a contract then asked back to the Warriors and lucky for the Blazers the Warriors GM was dumber then Cronin and prolly got fired for it or at least part of the reason he got canned.
Cronin reportedly wanted other players for the ML E but brought in a defensive upgrade for money. Payton didn’t play. He never wanted to leave the Warriors, but they were paying a ton already. They missed GP. The Warriors were @$$hats and Shams carried their water. Payton didn’t speak up. The accusations were disproven. The media found another story and didn’t criticize their golden children. For money, Cronin bought draft assets. He took care of Josh Hart sending him where he wanted to go. Josh Hart was a stand-up guy defending Portland’s medical staff and the Blazers. Cronin earns kudos not bowing to the Heat and pairing Dame with Giannis. Did Jrue a solid and Boston, too. Made reasonable trades that are still pending for the final outcome. Who ends up worse? Golden State (especially if Klay bails, but hey they still have GP3!) (or even if Klay stays, gets the bag and they have a tax bill and no more rings). Or Miami knowing they could have had Dame but they still have Herro? Anything that takes a bit of the sting out of tanking.
smh... Bob Meyers was the W's GM who led them to 4 championships. Under his tenure, the franchise's worth increased exponentially and according to Forbes is now the most valuble franchise in the NBA at 7B. They didn't fire him over GP2's pocket change contract, he resigned to try his hand at something else. He's now an ESPN commentator and advisor to the NFL's Washington Commanders. If he wants back into the league he'll have his pick of jobs. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2023/09/08/the-worlds-50-most-valuable-sports-teams-2023/ STOMP
I’ll admit I whiffed on this one I really thought he’d be a nice addition. Kind of a glue guy who was borderline very good defender.
If Klay walks maybe the dubs should move Steph and blow it up. In which case they can do worse than that GP II contact. Either way this makes the rumors about Klay interesting.
