Payton, Porter and Looney say they want to stay. Can the Warriors keep
their big free agents?
Kevon Looney, Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II say they want to stay
with the Warriors next year to defend the title
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 15: Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney
(5) shoots during practice the day before Game 6 of the NBA Finals at TD
Garden in Boston, Mass., on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (Jose Carlos
Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 15: Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney
(5) shoots during practice the day before Game 6 of the NBA Finals at TD
Garden in Boston, Mass., on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (Jose Carlos
Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 19, 2022 at 6:30 a.m. | UPDATED: June 20, 2022 at 6:15 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/06/19/payton-porter-and-looney-say-they-want-to-stay-can-the-warriors-keep-their-big-free-agents/

SAN FRANCISCO — The champagne buzz is still wearing off from the party
in Boston and a parade is planned in San Francisco Monday to celebrate
the Warriors’ fourth NBA title in eight years. But the Warriors have one
eye looking forward to free agency that starts July 1.

This championship proved that, even with the core in their mid-30s, the
contention window is still wide open. Pressure is on the front office to
keep the roster well-equipped to run it back in 2023 and beyond.

Nine Warriors will be free agents, seven unrestricted: Gary Payton II,
Andre Iguodala, Kevon Looney, Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica, Damion
Lee and Chris Chiozza are free agents. Juan Toscano-Anderson and
Quinndary Weatherspoon are restricted free agents.

With Golden State boasting the league’s highest payroll, will ownership
and management be willing to spend to keep the team mostly intact? Or
will they lean on some of their cheaper lottery picks to cut down on the
luxury tax spending?

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors’ Gary
Payton II #0 is fouled by Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum #0 in the fourth
quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News
Group)

For the 2021 season, the Warriors held a $178 million payroll pre-tax
and $170 million in luxury tax payments, totaling over $346 million in
payroll. They’ve led the NBA in spending in four of the last five
seasons. So trends tell us Warriors owner Joe Lacob won’t shy away from
spending big again. With existing contracts, the Warriors have $171
million on the books pre-tax. By their own standard, there’s room to spend.

Payton, Looney and Porter in particular were key to the Warriors’
success this season and voiced their desire to stay in Golden State.

“I always want to be back here,” said Looney, the Warriors’ 2015
first-round pick. “I want to come back and try to defend what we just
won and be a part of something special again.”

The Warriors own Looney’s Bird rights, which means they have no
limitations on what they can offer him. After playing all 104 games this
year, regular season and playoffs included, Looney evolved as one of the
team’s most valuable players and their only true center with James
Wiseman sidelined injured.

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors’ Gary
Payton II (0) waves a towel in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA
Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13,
2022. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94.
(Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

The Warriors also own Payton’s early-Bird rights, which means the
Warriors can offer Payton up to 105 percent of this season’s league
average salary. That would be just over $10 million. Payton said he
would “absolutely” love to come back to the Warriors next season, but
the longtime journeyman who bounced between six G-League teams and four
NBA teams is looking for a multi-year deal.

“I get to choose this time, I think so it’ll be interesting,” Payton
said. “Looking forward to it though.”

Plenty of teams will be interested in Payton for his ability to defend
wings despite his 6-foot-3 height, but the Warriors may feel the need to
keep and pay their discovery.

>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 16: Golden State Warriors’ Otto Porter
Jr. (32) fights for a rebound against Boston Celtics’ Al Horford (42) in
the first quarter of Game 6 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston,
Mass., on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Porter signed a one-year deal on a veteran minimum contract and shined,
his 3-point shooting spacing the floor with Steph Curry and Klay
Thompson. Porter’s non-Bird rights for this free agency period means the
Warriors can’t offer him much. But they could offer him the luxury
tax-payer mid-level exception, which could be worth $6 million.

Porter, whose career has been mired by injuries, may be willing to sign
on for that.

“I do know that this team can compete again for another championship and
it would be a great opportunity if I could stay here,” Porter said. “It
would be amazing to be here with that group of guys again and do it all
over again.”

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>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew
Wiggins (22), Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3) and Golden State
Warriors’ Andre Iguodala (9) high five while playing against Boston
Celtics in the first quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Shae
Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

Iguodala, 38, has yet to announce if he will retire from the league or
give another season. He missed the majority of the playoffs and portions
of the regular season dealing with a multitude of injuries, but his
presence on the sideline was invaluable.

But if the Warriors decide to extend Andrew Wiggins or Jordan Poole — or
both — there may be other money to consider flooding the books and
squeezing one, if not all, of the more expensive free agent prospects
out of the frame.

Plus, the Warriors could just pivot their spending habit and lean into
their lottery picks. Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody can theoretically
step into Porter and Payton’s roles and Wiseman can take over for Looney
at a much cheaper rate.

The Warriors are not afraid to spend big, but plenty of factors may not
guarantee the title team will all return.

>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 16: Golden State Warriors’ Damion Lee (1)
poses behind Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) as Curry is
interviewed on television following their 103-90 win over the Boston
Celtics in Game 6 to win the NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston, Mass.,
on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

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Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter