NBA Rumors: Decision to not re-sign gritty wing didn't sit well with several people within the Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors didn't re-sign breakout star Gary Payton II in free agency. Payton would have demanded an expensive contract, which would have been unaffordable for the Warriors, and as such, bringing him back was always going to be an uphill task.

Gary Payton II went on to sign for the Portland Trail Blazers on a three-year $28 million deal. The Warriors were the favorites to sign him, but they only offered him the taxpayer exception worth $6.4 million, much less than what he would earn in Portland.

The decision to not match his contract expectations didn't sit well with some within the Golden State Warriors as per The Athletic's Anthony Slater. Here's what Slater's latest report said (H/T Heavy.com):

"The difference in the tax penalty — somewhere around $15 million extra in the immediate, a whole lot more throughout a longer-term deal — caused Lacob and the Warriors to balk. It stung several in the organization, per sources…For the first time, they’d failed to retain one of their own due to an unwillingness to meet a financial demand."

The Warriors will be well over the tax line because of the four expensive contracts of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green alone. They have also seen other players like Nemanja Bjelica, Otto Porter Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Damion Lee leave in free agency.

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Golden State Warriors manage to keep hold of Kevon Looney on a bargain deal

Warriors center Kevon Looney attends a press conference after the 2022 NBA Finals - Game Six

The Golden State Warriors were expected to have a difficult time retaining most of their free-agent crop. Several of them have outperformed their previous contracts drastically. Veteran big Kevon Looney was also among those players.

The Warriors may not have managed to retain most of their free agents, but as per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Golden State has reached an agreement with Looney for a three-year deal worth $25 million.

Looney was the ultimate iron man for the Warriors last season. He played all 82 regular-season games and featured in every playoff match as well, registering 104 appearances. Looney's presence in the paint as an efficient rebounder and ability to play switch defense helped the Warriors immensely.

The 26-year-old center has only played for the Golden State Warriors during his time in the NBA. Kevon Looney has fit into the Warriors system under Steve Kerr seamlessly, so bringing him back was a no-brainer for the team as they are keen to win back-to-back titles, and role players like Looney are essential to make that happen.