Report: Crucial details about Gary Payton II trade to Golden State which can be potentially botched: All you need to know
The entire saga of the Golden State Warriors reuniting with Gary Payton II has been shrouded in mystery and controversy. The Athletic published a story stating the the Portland Trail Blazers withheld information regarding Payton's health issues. However, as per league sources, the Blazers were equally unaware of such a health issue.
The Warriors' acquisiton of GP2 was riddled with problems. Shortly after news of the trade broke, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Gary Payton II failed his physical with the Golden State Warriors.
Showing signs of abdomen injury, Charania and Anthony Slater mentioned that the Trail Blazers withheld information regarding this injury. Additionally, The Athletic also mentioned that the Blazers training staff were giving the guard Toradol shots to ensure he played through the injury.
Needless to say, these are controversial acts by the Trail Blazers, which could also result in the Warriors taking action against them. However, as per league sources, the Trail Blazers were equally unaware of the guard's injury situation.
According to a league source, Blazers were not made aware of any concerns with Gary Payton II's medicals—either from Warriors organization or any media outlet reporting it—prior to the Athletic story being published.
Full story on the trade going through: rosegardenreport.com/p/gary-payton-…
Blazers GM Joe Cronin had mentioned that he had no idea about GP2's injury until just after the news of the guard failing the physical was made public.
Joe Cronin on the Gary Payton II failed physical at Golden State: "I just heard about this five minutes ago so for now I have to defer."
In an address to the media on Friday, Cronin added by saying:
"Player safety is super important to us. 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.
"So, you trust that we did the right thing, we trust that our process was correct, and these reports, I think ... the clearance process was proper, so I'll have to rely on that."
Payton's agent, Aaron Goodwin, also denied major accusations made by The Athletic regarding Toradol. He outright denied that Payton was taking Toradol to be available for games.
However, The Athletic claimed on Sunday that, as per their sources, GP2 was being given Toradol orally, as opposed to an injection.
The Warriors are reportedly going through with their trade for GP2 regardless. However, given that he failed his physical, the Warriors can still take action against the Trail Blazers in the offseason.
Read: Top 5 NBA players who failed medicals, leading to canceled trades in history as Gary Payton II's move to Golden State Warriors hits a roadblock
Gary Payton II to be reunited with the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors brought a fan-favorite back to the side following the trade deadline. With Gary Payton II back on board, the Warriors have added a key element from last season's championship roster back in the squad.
Unfortunately, due to injury complications, he will remain sidelined for the foreseeable future. However, GP2's addition has benefitted the Warriors in other ways in the short run as well.
By providing significant salary relief to the team and being on contract for the next two years, the Warriors have instantly seen an improvement to their situation. However, fans will have to be patient before they can see the guard back in action.
Read: Golden State Warriors depth chart: How does the team line up their starting 5 after getting Gary Payton II and letting go of James Wiseman