Trade of Gary Payton II to Warriors completed; Blazers facing probe - reports

The trade had been held up by the Warriors’ concerns over Payton’s physical, which reportedly revealed that he would miss a significant portion of the rest of the regular season due to an abdominal injury.

Published : Feb 13, 2023 17:19 IST

FILE PHOTO: Portland Trail Blazers guard Gary Payton II.
FILE PHOTO: Portland Trail Blazers guard Gary Payton II. | Photo Credit: AP
infoIcon

FILE PHOTO: Portland Trail Blazers guard Gary Payton II. | Photo Credit: AP

The four-team trade that is sending Gary Payton II to the Golden State Warriors from the Portland Trail Blazers was completed on Sunday night, multiple outlets reported, ending a brief saga that had the deal in limbo since Thursday’s trade deadline.

The trade had been held up by the Warriors’ concerns over Payton’s physical, which reportedly revealed that he would miss a significant portion of the rest of the regular season due to an abdominal injury. The teams had a 9:30 p.m. ET deadline Sunday to finalize the trade.

Along with Payton, 30, reuniting with the Warriors, the deal is sending Golden State’s James Wiseman to the Pistons, Detroit’s Saddiq Bey to the Atlanta Hawks and another Pistons player, Kevin Knox II, to the Trail Blazers. The Warriors will also send five second-round draft picks to Portland.

According to several reports, the Warriors will not officially pass Payton with respect to his physical. The injury forced him to miss the first 35 games of the season following offseason surgery.

The NBA will conduct an inquiry into the Trail Blazers’ handling of the injury, in particular a potential failure to provide sufficient medical information before agreeing to the trade, according to ESPN.

Among the consequences Portland could face should it be found of any wrongdoing are a fine, a loss of draft picks and a re-examination by the league of the package of picks the Warriors are sending to the Blazers.

Payton averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15 games (one start) for Portland this season. In seven seasons and with five teams, Payton has appeared in 157 games, with 40 starts. He is averaging 5.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 14.7 minutes per game.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment