UPDATE: Gary Payton II reportedly has failed a physical to put the four-team trade in "serious jeopardy." Original story below.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors sent out a press release around 7 p.m. PT on Thursday night confirming a four-way trade with the Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and the Portland Trail Blazers. Ultimately, Golden State netted Gary Payton II and two future draft pick swaps in 2026 and 2028, while sending James Wiseman to the Pistons.
Warriors president and general manager Bob Myers was going to meet with the media but his press conference was canceled. All four teams have acknowledged the trade via their official social media channels, yet Warriors coach Steve Kerr wasn’t able to discuss Payton’s arrival as of Friday afternoon. Reporters were at Chase Center to hear his comments on the deal, but it is yet to be finalized, despite the press release.
Though he couldn’t say anything to the media, Kerr’s big smile did all the talking.
“I’m not at liberty to talk about anything with the trade until it’s finalized,” Kerr said.
“You’re smiling,” a reporter told him.
“Even that, I can’t,” Kerr joked.
The coach looks ecstatic that GP2 is back. Not only is he a defensive stopper who fits well into his offensive system, but Payton was a beloved member of the team that everyone wanted to keep. Golden State didn't want to dip further into the luxury tax this past offseason but essentially admitted their mistake by bringing him back.
Payton was spotted at the team facility in the weight room and a kitchen near the gym floor on Friday but wasn’t cleared to practice yet. He looked comfortable as he interacted with the staff, like he was back home after a short vacation to Portland.
The hang-up is expected to be a result of timing on the physicals, as there were four players in the deal. The Warriors are still hoping that Payton will be able to play on Saturday evening against the Los Angeles Lakers. Technically, the teams have 72 hours from the trade to approve it, which would be on Sunday. Wiseman is headed to the Pistons, Payton is back in the Bay, Saddiq Bey is going to the Hawks and Kevin Knox is going to the Blazers.
As Bay Area fans know, the deal’s not over ‘til it’s over.
Just a couple months ago, the Giants backed out of a 13-year, $350 million agreement with Carlos Correa because of ankle issues that popped up in his physical. For six days, the baseball world operated under the assumption that Correa would be the next franchise player by McCovey Cove. We all know what happened next, as his San Francisco press conference was canceled and then a 12-year, $315 deal with the New York Mets fell through over concerns about his ankle. Correa ultimately returned to the Minnesota Twins on a six-year, $200 million contract.
The NBA is trying to avoid such a fiasco here, especially on a four-team deal with an issued press release.
Asked if the Warriors were to “hypothetically” add a guard to the mix, Kerr offered some veiled insight. If you really wanna read the tea leaves, it sounds like Payton could have the chance to start on certain nights.
“We gotta wait and see how everything plays out with our roster,” Kerr said. “We’ve already changed starting lineups a couple times Steph went out. That may continue based on matchups. We just gotta keep pushing forward with whatever we think is the best way to win that night. We could play bigger, we could play smaller. We’ll see.”
The Warriors are feeling good about the trade agreement, even though it’s a relatively low-key move compared to the big fish like Kevin Durant (Suns) and Kyrie Irving (Mavericks) who have rejoined the Western Conference, along with the re-tooled Lakers.
“It’s a very interesting trade deadline,” Kerr said. “A lot of the teams got better and stronger and there were already some teams that were very strong to start with. Conference definitely got better.”
