The Golden State Warriors are working with the league to resolve a trade centered on Gary Payton II that has been put in jeopardy.
This weekend, we found out that a trade completed just before the NBA’s trade deadline was in jeopardy because the Trail Blazers did not disclose information about an injury Gary Payton II was playing through, according to Golden State Warriors allegations.
Here’s what the Warriors are alleging about Gary Payton II injury
According to a report initially from Shams Charania and Anthony Slater at The Athletic, Gary Payton II failed his physical with the Warriors after he was traded from the Trail Blazers to Golden State as part of a four-team deal.
Payton had a delayed debut this season because his recovery from an abdominal injury did not go according to plan. That same injury is the one in focus now, and the Warriors allege that he was using Toradol shots to manage the pain.
According to the Warriors, Payton is not fit to play and would miss a substantial part of the remaining season, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski.
Why is Gary Payton II injury such a big deal?
There are a few reasons this is such a big deal. Firstly, from the Warriors’ perspective, NBA teams presume that other teams are acting in good faith when discussing trades. While teams hope they can “win” trade negotiations, they also hope that their fellow competitors are acting ethically.
You wouldn’t want to buy a car from a dealership and have it be a lemon, right? Same deal here.
The other reason it’s such a big deal for the Warriors is they’re a luxury tax-paying team. Any moves made before the deadline change the team’s final payroll and impact exactly how much in luxury tax ownership owes. So, the move may have been made with a plan to get that figure to a certain point. More on this in a moment.
Zooming out beyond the Warriors is the scope of the deal. It involves four teams and several players changing jerseys. If the deal is, indeed, canceled, it changes plans at least slightly for several teams, not just the two involved in the Payton issue.
Saddiq Bey goes to the Atlanta Hawks from the Detroit Pistons in this deal. James Wiseman goes from Golden State to Detroit. That all gets reversed if the Payton aspect falls through.
Finally, it’s an issue because the trade deadline has now passed, meaning there is little recourse to alter the deal in a way that is satisfactory for all parties. It also means the Warriors, if they back out of the deal, may have that luxury tax bill looking different than they anticipated when they initially agreed to this trade.
Here’s what Gary Payton II’s agent said about injury
Gary Payton II’s agent denied that he took Toradol shots. Aaron Goodwin said, “despite of [sic] what’s being reported, my client never took Toradol shots to be available for games during his time in Portland,” according to Chris Haynes.
Here’s what Portland Trail Blazers have said about Gary Payton II’s injury
Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin strongly denied the allegations being made by the Warriors organization and medical staff:
"“Player safety is super important to us,” Cronin said. “I mean, it’s a super important thing around the league. We were playing him. He was playing and he had been cleared and we were confident that he was healthy when he was playing. We would not have brought him back if we thought he wasn’t healthy or if he was at risk.”"
It begs the question: How can two different NBA-level medical teams have such a widely variant diagnosis of the same player’s injury?
Can the Gary Payton II trade be amended?
No. Since the NBA Trade Deadline has now come and gone, trades can not be amended.
Who determines whether or not Gary Payton II trade goes through?
The ball is wholly in the Warriors’ court. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors still may have the right to pursue recourse over the issue.
When will we know if Gary Payton II trade is approved?
The deadline for the Warriors and league office to come to a conclusion is 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Will Trail Blazers be punished for Gary Payton II trade?
Adrian Wojnarowski said that the Blazers could be punished with a loss of draft picks and a fine if an investigation was carried out that found, “a failure to disclose relevant information” on the injury.