Payton, who has spent the past two seasons with the Golden State Warriors, is expected to join the Blazers on a $ 28 million three-year deal, sources told ESPN's Marc J. Spears.
Just as Payton has ties to the Bay Area, with his father, Oakland-born Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton, he also has ties to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.
He grew up in Seattle while his father was playing for the Seattle Supersonics. Payton also dated and played at Oregon State for two years.
After bouncing around the championship since his 2016-17 rookie season, Payton finally found a spot in Golden State that allowed his game to thrive.
Seen as a point guard out of college, Payton was used more as a small forward and sometimes even as a center with the Warriors as he spent most of his time on the verge of dunking.
Payton's main role was as a defensive defender, recording a defensive score of 100, good for 40th place in the league and sixth best among players who played about the same number of minutes.
He has been successful in matchups against some of the best in the league, such as MVP Nikola Jokic, and the fact that he has added a little more shot to his offensive arsenal.
Free agent guard Jalen Brunson has accepted a four-year $ 104 million deal with the New York Knicks, CAA Basketball agents Aaron Mintz and Sam Rose told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday.