Warriors guard Gary Payton II joked that he would request a trade to Seattle if the team returns to the NBA through expansion.
The discussions about potential NBA expansion have intensified, as the league governors are set to vote on the league's expansion for the 2028-29 season with Seattle and Las Vegas named as the two new cities on the NBA map.
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And there are already players who have expressed excitement about the upcoming expansion.
Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II whose father was the star of the legendary Seattle SuperSonics teams of the 90s, has already expressed his desire to potentially wear the Sonics jersey before his career ends.
“Great. I would probably request a trade immediately!" Payton joked when asked on the prospect of Seattle landing a new NBA team in an interview with NBA insider Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
"Even though I love where I’m at, it’s about being able to throw on that Sonics jersey before my career is over."
“I really hope they end up getting that done so I can go hoop for the hometown one time,” he added.
“I have nothing but good memories of Seattle, from that ’96 Finals run with Mike all the way up until Dad got traded to Milwaukee for Ray Allen,” Payton recalled memories of his father's Seattle days.
Reflecting on his childhood experiences during the 1996 Finals, Payton II remembered the energy at KeyArena.
“The atmosphere… was just crazy. That’s the main thing I remember, just going up against Mike,” he said, referring to Michael Jordan.
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