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The Golden State Warriors have reportedly saved $60 million in luxury tax and salary payments after letting Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. leave.
The Warriors have already logged record tax-payments in previous years. Coupled with the aforementioned $60 million, Golden State's total payroll would have sky-rocketed to more than $400 million in 2022.
Being a repeat tax-offender, the Warriors have it much worse than many teams around the league.
Payton signed a three-year, $26 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. The breakup of Payton's contract:
Otto Porter Jr., on the other hand, signed a two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors, worth $12,300,000. Porter Jr.'s contract breakdown:
Both Porter Jr. and Payton were signed using the mid-level exception.
Payton and Porter: Golden State Warriors' offseason so far
The Golden State Warriors have already lost two key pieces in their rotation.
Coming off the bench, Gary Payton II played a crucial role as a wing defender and also started as the center of their small-ball lineup. Payton's lob throwdowns made for some of the most memorable Golden State Warriors moments this season.
Standing at six-foot-three, Payton's prowess in defending much bigger players proved invaluable. His height allowed him to get much lower than his opponents, making dribbling a nightmare. He averaged 2.8 steals per 36 minutes in the regular season and 3.4 steals per 36 minutes in the playoffs.
Porter Jr., on the other hand, brought a different skill-set to the Warriors. Standing at six-foot-eight, his size and rebounding were assets on defense. His timely three-point shooting helped the team on offense. He shot 37% from three-point range last season, and is a career 39.8% three-point shooter.
The path forward for Golden State is murky. They have just won an NBA championship, and reports indicated that letting Payton get away was not a popular decision among the players.
One key thing to note here is that Payton wasn't even supposed to play for the Warriors this season, let alone be a key part of a championship roster. Draymond Green and Stephen Curry convinced the front-office to take on Payton's contract.
With the return of Wiseman, the Warriors will inevitably be counting on their top draft-picks to blossom into reliable rotation players.
Guess the Lakers players!
