Free agents Gary Payton II and De’Anthony Melton joined Al Horford on Sunday in committing to the Golden State Warriors, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The deals will be made official following a final decision from restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, a source said. Kuminga has an October 1 deadline to accept Golden State’s qualifying offer for next season.
The Warriors also reached terms with second round rookie guard Will Richard on a four-year deal with two seasons fully guaranteed, agents Jared Mucha and Marcus Monk of Excel Sports Management told ESPN, giving them 13 committed roster players.
Payton and Melton were both on the Warriors’ roster last season, though Melton suffered an ACL injury that kept him out of all but six games. He was traded to Brooklyn soon after, where he rehabbed from surgery.
Payton, meanwhile, enjoyed his healthiest season since 2021-22, appearing in 62 games for Golden State to go along with 11 playoff appearances. The 32-year-old has been a trusted reserve for coach Steve Kerr since helping the team win the 2022 championship and, aside from a brief stint in Portland, has spent most of the last five seasons with the Warriors.
At 6-foot-2, Payton plays much bigger than his height on both ends of the court and was often used as a play-finisher around the rim.
Payton, son of Hall of Famer Gary Payton, is coming off a three-year, $26 million deal he signed with Portland in 2022.
When healthy, Melton, 27, is a versatile guard who can defend, space the court and playmake with the ball. He’s struggled with injuries in recent years, having only appeared in 44 games over the last two seasons.
