SAN FRANCISCO — Oh no. Not again.
Bay Area sports fans might be having flashbacks to the Carlos Correa-Giants fiasco, as the four-team deal between the Warriors, Pistons, Hawks and Blazers has reportedly hit a snag with Gary Payton II's failed physical for a core muscle injury, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
According to the report, the Warriors will have until Saturday to make up their minds, as the entire four-team trade would have to be rescinded.
The Warriors have until Saturday to go through with the trade -- or have the entire four-team deal be rescinded, sources said.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. https://t.co/ewWalgLFNl
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 11, 2023
The deal, which was announced by a Warriors press release Thursday, netted the Warriors Payton and two draft pick swaps in 2026 and 2028 while sending James Wiseman to Detroit.
Payton was spotted at the team facility smiling and interacting with his teammates and staff on Friday, but wasn't cleared to practice.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he wasn’t able to discuss the deal since it was yet to be finalized. Bob Myers was initially expected to speak with the media Friday but his press conference was called off.
“I’m not at liberty to talk about anything with the trade until it’s finalized,” Kerr said.
It’s worth noting that Kerr had a huge smile when giving his non-answer, so you have to assume he was operating with the thought that the deal would be consummated.
What’s odd about Payton’s reported core muscle injury is that he played for the Blazers against the Warriors on Wednesday night, logging 22 minutes of action. He underwent surgery on his core muscle this past offseason and didn’t make his season debut until Jan. 2, but has played in 14 of the Blazers last 17 contests. If he’s out for three months, that could keep him sidelined through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The Athletic's Anthony Slater provided more context about the situation, saying the Blazers urged Payton to play through the pain while using Toradol shots to mitigate it. According to Slater, the Warriors were unaware of this during their trade negotiations.
Jason Dumas of KRON4 reported that Payton will undergo another X-ray on Friday night.Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area cited sources who said the Warriors could keep Payton regardless of the injury.
Back in December, Giants fans suffered the tease of a 13-year, $350 million agreement with Correa that was ultimately called off due to concerns with his ankle, which popped up during a physical.
What’s different about this negotiation is that it wasn’t just one team and one free agent, but a four-team trade involving four players and multiple draft picks. We’ll have to see if the physical ultimately calls off the deal.
