Why is Gary Payton II's trade to Golden State Warriors in jeopardy? Explaining the story behind "Toradol Shots" and failed medical

Gary Payton II’s return to the Bay Area may not be a done deal after all. A failed post-trade physical could reset the negotiations that would have reunited “GPII” with his old Golden State Warriors teammates.

Here’s the report from Shams Charania of “The Athletic:”

“Just in: A failed physical exam of Gary Payton II has placed the Golden State-Portland-Detroit-Atlanta four-team deal in serious jeopardy, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater. Payton's core muscle injury could sideline him for up to three months following a Warriors exam.”

More details came in just recently:

“The Warriors have until Saturday to go through with the trade -- or have the entire four-team deal be rescinded, sources said. Golden State re-acquired Payton at the trade deadline on Thursday.”

Per NBA rules, the trade itself cannot be changed. The Golden State Warriors can still acquire Gary Payton II by waiving the physical test or the deal gets invalidated.

What jeopardized the trade was the information that:

“Payton, according to sources, had been playing through pain in Portland. Sources added that the Blazers training staff had been pushing him to gut through it, giving him Toradol shots. This had not been relayed to the Warriors during the negotiation process."

It further noted:

“Payton had abdominal surgery during the summer. The Blazers initially projected he’d be ready for the regular season. But his rehab lingered, his timeline kept getting pushed back and Payton ended up missing the season’s first 35 games, hinting after his return that he still didn’t feel fully right, mentioning a few setbacks.”

If Gary Payton II receives further treatment, which is what he’s expected to go through, he will be sidelined for an indefinite amount of time. When the Golden State Warriors traded for him, they thought they were getting a player who could immediately contribute to their title defense.

Payton’s acquisition would have been huge for the Warriors as he knows the players and the system well. He’s also an elite defender, which Golden State has struggled with this season, particularly on the road.

The Golden State Warriors still have enough time to decide what to do with Gary Payton II but they’re understandably furious with the whole situation.

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Portland Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin defends their handling of Gay Payton II before the trade involving the Golden State Warriors

Two nights ago, Gary Payton II played against his old team in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 125-122 win. “GPII” started and finished with nine points and three rebounds in 23 minutes.

Blazers GM Joe Cronin had this to say about the controversy (per Bill Oram):

“Player safety is super important to us, it’s a super important thing around the league. We were playing him, he was playing. He had been cleared. We were confident that he was healthy when he was playing."

He added:

"We would not have brought him back if we thought he wasn’t healthy or he was at risk, so trust that we did the right thing, and you trust that our process was correct.”

The Golden State Warriors couldn’t pay Payton what he deserved, so he let him go in free agency. Realizing that they needed someone who could significantly improve their title defense, they went after a player they knew very well.

Letting James Wiseman go was tough, but he hasn't developed into the player Golden State hoped he would.

It remains to be seen how this standoff will play out in the coming days.

You might also like to read: Gary Payton II injury: Which injury has 4-team deal in jeopardy with Gary Payton II injured? Teams involved and concerns around injury explained

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