As expected, the Portland Trail Blazers brought back Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic to their roster in 2022 free agency. But there’s no doubt that Gary Payton II was the franchise’s biggest free agent addition.
Despite the former Oregon State Beaver’s unconventional NBA journey, the 29-year-old has finally established himself though contributions on a dynastic Championship-winning franchise.
But why has it taken him this long to find a place in the NBA? The son of a nine-time All Star who shares his name, Payton II went undrafted in 2016, battling in stints with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards, before joining the Golden State Warriors 15 months ago.