The Warriors were excited to get Gary Payton II back on their team. Then he failed his physical.
Golden State engineered a four-team deal to get Payton from Portland, trading James Wiseman to Detroit and sending five second-round picks from Atlanta to Portland. But a physical exam Friday found Payton had a core muscle injury, which could keep him out for the remainder of the season. Now the Warriors have a decision to make, and Portland has some explaining to do.
Portland lured Payton away from Golden State with a three-year deal for $28 million. He had abdominal surgery in July, and didn’t make his debut until Jan. 12. But according to Jason Quick of The Athletic, Portland traded Payton because “he indicated he didn’t want to be in Portland and was ecstatic to return to Golden State,” presumably when his old team visited Portland the night before the deadline.
Why was Payton unhappy? A report from Shams Charania and Anthony Slater indicates that Payton was pressured to play though he was still injured. The training staff was giving Payton injections of a strong painkiller called Toradol so he could get through games. Reportedly, Portland did not inform the Warriors of Payton’s injury issues before the trade.
Since this was a four-team deal, the Warriors don’t have much wiggle room. They ruled Payton a failed physical, meaning they have until the end of the day Saturday to cancel the trade entirely, returning Payton, Bey and Wiseman to their old teams, or accept the deal as it is. The league could make an exception, perhaps adjusting the pick compensation headed to Portland, but there’s no indication yet that they will.
That’s the tough choice: An awkward reunion with Wiseman, or accepting the Blazers’ trade chicanery, and hoping Payton could recover to help them at some point this season.
For his part, Portland GM Joe Cronin claims that Payton was perfectly healthy.
As for questions about The Athletic’s report and the use or Toradol, Cronin refused to comment while the trade was still pending.
There’s precedent for the NBA stepping in when there’s deception in trades. The league ordered the Philadelphia 76ers to pay the New Orleans Pelicans $3 million after the Sixers traded Jrue Holiday without disclosing he had a stress fracture in his leg.
The news is a punch in the gut for the Warriors and their playoff hopes. We’ll see if they take it and move on, or if the whole trade will crumple.
