Gary Payton II isn’t back with the Golden State Warriors just yet. The 30-year-old was dealt to his former team in a four-way trade in the hours before Thursday’s deadline, but The Athletics’ Shams Charania reports that Payton failed the physical examination, putting the deal under serious threat.
The Warriors will now spend the next 24 hours deliberating whether they want to rescind the trade, though it’s unclear what the details around that would be. Former number two overall pick James Wiseman was traded to the Detroit Pistons as part of the deal.
The Portland Trail Blazers’ mismanagement of Gary Payton II has put his move to the Golden State Warriors in serious jeopardy.
Golden State’s examination revealed that Payton could miss three months due to an ongoing abdominal injury. Portland has now come under fire for their management of the defensive star, with Charania’s report detailing the Trail Blazers’ shocking handling of Payton’s injury.
"“Payton, according to sources, had been playing through pain in Portland. Sources added that the Blazers training staff had been pushing him to gut through it, giving him Toradol shots. This had not been relayed to the Warriors during the negotiation process.”"
Golden State now have to decide whether they want to follow through with acquiring Payton, knowing full well that he likely won’t be available until the pointy end of the postseason should the Warriors make it that far.
It’s an incredibly awkward position to be in given the team’s have already welcomed or farewelled each of the players involved in the trade. Detroit’s Saddiq Bey was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks, while Kevin Knox and five second-round picks headed from Atlanta to Portland via Golden State.
Payton signed a three-year, $27 million with the Trail Blazers in free agency, a decision he may have come to regret just months into the deal. He was reported to be ‘ecstatic’ with a move back to the Warriors, and it’s easy to see why given this latest development.