The trade of Gary Payton II to the Golden State Warriors could end up costing the Portland Trail Blazers.
The disastrous Gary Payton II trade to the Warriors may come back to haunt the Blazers
Before the NBA trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers made headlines by completing a trade. They didn’t realize the deal wouldn’t get as much attention as a full-blown controversy involving Gary Payton II.
The Warriors’ physical reportedly revealed a core muscle injury that could keep Payton out for up to three months, delaying his reunion with the team with which he won a championship last season.
League sources: Yes, GP2 failed his physical.
But the Warriors might be willing to waive it to retain his rights.
Situation is fluid (partly bc other pending physicals), but conceivable the full trade still gets completed— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) February 11, 2023
Due to abdominal surgery he needed during the offseason, Payton didn’t play for Portland until January 2. Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups revealed in December that Payton was also fighting mental hurdles in order to play.
The defensive whiz has played 17 minutes per game in 15 games since returning to the Blazers, averaging 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals.
The Athletic reported that, unbeknownst to Golden State, Payton had been playing through pain in Portland thanks to Toradol shots administered by the training staff.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Warriors have complained to the league office about the Blazers’ lack of transparency regarding Payton’s medical history, specifically the rumored use of Toradol shots on GPII to alleviate his pain.
For his part, ESPN’s Bobby Marks speculated that the NBA might look into the matter, given that the league recently sent a memo to all teams stressing the importance of disclosing any relevant medical information to both parties prior to the signing of a contract.
The Blazers risk having draft picks or financial penalties taken away from them if the NBA finds out they hid Payton’s medical history from them during their investigation.
Depending on the findings of the investigation into Payton’s abdominal injury that forced him to miss the first 35 games of the season and required offseason surgery, the NBA could fine Portland and/or take away draft picks.
James Wiseman was sent to the Pistons by the Warriors in exchange for Saddiq Bey. To acquire Gary Payton II from the Trail Blazers, they traded Bey to the Atlanta Hawks for five second-round picks. If the Dubs reject the Payton trade in light of the new information, the entire deal will collapse.
Now, Payton’s agent Aaron Goodwin has addressed these claims publicly. Goodwin claims the allegations about the Toradol shots are baseless.
He told NBA on TNT/Bleacher Report that ‘despite of what’s being reported, my client never took Toradol shots to be available for games during his time in Portland,’
If the Blazers are found to have flaws in the agreement, it will be a major problem. Even though they have denied letting Payton play through an injury, only an NBA investigation will reveal the full extent of the issues that arose during the trade.
The decision to move forward with the deal rests with the Dubs until this coming Sunday, though things are currently a bit chaotic.
