Report: Warriors acquisition Payton II fails physical, four-team trade in jeopardy
Published
Gary Payton II has failed his physical exam with the Golden State Warriors and put the four-team trade in which the team acquired him in jeopardy, according to a report by Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Payton has a core muscle injury that could sideline him for up to three months, according to the report.
The Warriors have until Saturday to accept the trade or have the entire deal rescinded.
The Warriors reacquired Payton II ahead of the trade deadline on Thursday from the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal that sent centre James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons, Saddiq Bey to the Atlanta Hawks and Kevin Knox II to the Trail Blazers, along with three conditional second-round picks.
The Warriors also received unprotected 2026 and '28 second-round draft picks from Portland while giving up Memphis’ 2026 second-round pick and its own 2028 second-round selection.
Payton is slated to return for his second stint with the Warriors after winning an NBA Championship with the team in 2022. He played just 15 games with the Blazers after signing with the club this past off-season, averaging 4.1 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.