Golden State Warriors provide more optimistic outlook on Gary Payton II

The Golden State Warriors will re-evaluate Gary Payton II in one month after general manager Bob Myers spoke for the first time since the controversial trade was completed on Sunday.

The medical staff’s initial assessment suggested Payton could be out for up to three months, but this latest outlook is more positive with the 30-year-old having already missed 35 games after abdominal surgery during the offseason.

The Golden State Warriors are cautiously optimistic that Gary Payton II will return at some point before the end of the regular season.

Myers confirmed on Monday that the Warriors explored all possible options after Payton’s failed physical, including rescinding the four-team trade that would have awkwardly brought James Wiseman back to Golden State. The deal eventually remained in place, with Myers clarifying Payton’s timeline.

"“It is our determination that he’s not ready to play right now. When we get him back, hopefully we do get him back at some point. The goal would be pre-playoffs…but until we get a sense of how the rehab process is going I can’t really speculate.”"

Myers was not at liberty to discuss the situation with Portland who’ve come under fire for their handling of Payton during the season, and for their dealings with the Warriors in which they failed to communicate his injury issues.

The complete avoidance of questions is a clear indication that this matter has a lot to play out, with the NBA set to investigate why the opposing teams’ medical staffs were so contrasting on their assessment of Payton. When asked what he hopes comes from the investigation, Myers responded by saying “whatever the NBA says is fair.”

Whether the Warriors will or can get some sort of compensation is yet to be determined, though there’s no doubt they were frustrated with the Trail Blazers’ communication. The initial trade could not be amended once the trade deadline passed on Thursday.