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Payton exercised his $9.1 million player option for the 2024-25 season Wednesday, ESPN's Kendra Andrews reports.

Advice: By opting into his option, Payton will now be able to negotiate a possible contract extension with the Warriors. Payton has had some tough luck with injuries in recent seasons, but he's invaluable to the Warriors for his perimeter defense. In 44 regular-season appearances last season, Payton averaged 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.9 steals. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:11 am

Washington ended Monday's 106-88 loss to Boston in Game 5 of the NBA Finals with four points (2-7 FG, 0-5 3Pt), six rebounds, three assists and two blocks across 34 minutes.

Advice: Washington produced one of his worst games of the playoffs in Game 5. Overall, he was a key part of Dallas' starting five, averaging 13.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals in 22 starts. The Mavericks acquired the 25-year-old at the trade deadline, and he averaged 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks across 29 regular-season games. Dallas has Washington under contract until the 2026-27 season and will look to return to the NBA Finals next season, likely keeping most, if not all, of their core group from this season. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 12:47 pm

Pritchard posted three points (1-1 FG, 1-1 3Pt) in under one minute of playing time during Monday's 106-88 win over Dallas in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Advice: As he did periodically during the regular season and postseason, Pritchard once again drained a half-court end-of-quarter three just when the Celtics needed a boost. In Game 5, he heaved a half-court triple with under four seconds to help Boston take a 21-point lead into halftime. It was a lead the Celtics would never relinquish as Boston earned its 18th banner. Pritchard hit three triples over five 2024 NBA Finals games. He has three years remaining on his current contract, so expect more off-the-bench heroics moving forward. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 7:05 am

Dereck Lively II finished Monday’s 106-88 loss to the Celtics with two points (1-of-2 FGs), four rebounds, and one blocked shot in 24 minutes.

Advice: After recording double-doubles in Games 3 and 4, Lively had a rough Game 5 in Boston. The rookie center still played over twice as many minutes as starting center Daniel Gafford, as his skill set appeared to be a better fit for this matchup. The ending to the season wasn’t good, but this was a rookie year that Lively can build upon. Lively, the 12th overall pick in last summer’s draft, landed in an excellent spot regarding his career path. He’s played well off of star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, showing signs of being able to take on the “Tyson Chandler role” the Mavericks envisioned when they acquired his draft rights from Oklahoma City. Lively finished the season as a 10th-round player in 9-cat formats, with injuries and the passing of his mother limiting the rookie to 55 games. Another offseason to strengthen his skill set should boost Lively’s value, even if he continues to share the center responsibilities with Daniel Gafford. Rotoworld Monday, 9:13 pm