Four-team deal involving Gary Payton II is now at risk due to injury, physically failed: report

The Golden State Warriors made a big move by executing a trade for Gary Payton II, but the deal could be in jeopardy, a new report has revealed.

The Warriors had hoped to reunite with Payton but things aren’t going as expected.

Payton was part of a trade involving four NBA teams, but an issue in a physical exam showed the guard could be out for about three months, according to The Athletic. He failed on a Friday physical due to a core muscle issue.

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Gary Payton II of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts after scoring against the San Antonio Spurs in the fourth quarter at the Moda Center on January 23, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Saturday is the deadline to close the deal. If the deal doesn’t go through, all four teams involved — the Warriors, Pistons, Blazers and the Hawks — could be affected.

The Athletic reported that Payton had been playing with the Trail Blazers in pain that season and the training staff administered shots to help him endure the discomfort.

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Golden State was reportedly unaware of Payton’s condition or that he may have been receiving treatment.

“Player safety is very important to us,” said Joe Cronin, Blazers general manager. “It’s a super important thing in the league. We played him… he had been erased and we were confident he was healthy when he played.

“We would not have brought him back if we thought he was unhealthy or if we thought he was at risk. You trust that we did the right thing and you trust that our process was correct. And those reports, you know, I think if you knew our approval process was correct, I have to rely on that.”

Gary Payton II of the Golden State Warriors shoots during a practice session of the 2022 NBA Finals and media availability June 7, 2022 at TD Garden in Boston. (Jesse D Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Payton underwent abdominal surgery last summer. He sat out the first 35 games of the season, although Portland initially assumed he would be eligible to play early in the season.

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Shortly after returning to court, Payton hinted that he was still not entirely well.

“It is what it is,” Payton said upon returning for his first game of the season. “Probably my fourth or fifth surgery in the last five or six years. … It’s at the point where it’s going to be the best thing for this year. I just have to bang it out.”

Gary Payton II (00) of the Portland Trail Blazers shoots against Thomas Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers during the third quarter at the Moda Center on January 22, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

In the complex four-team deal, Golden State sent James Wiseman to the Pistons and Saddiq Bey to Atlanta in exchange for five second-round draft picks. The Warriors then used the draft capital to acquire Payton from the Blazers.

The defending champion Warriors were hoping Payton’s second stint at the Golden State would give the team a much-needed boost on the track.

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Payton signed a three-year, $26.1 million contract with the Blazers last summer.