A four-team NBA trade may fall through due to a physical involving Gary Payton II.
As part of the extensive trade, the defensive dynamo was set to be sent back to his former Warriors side from the Trail Blazers in exchange for five second-round picks.
The proposed trade also involves the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks. The deal itself mostly notably sees the Pistons adding James Wiseman from the Warriors, and the Atlanta Hawks acquiring Saddiq Bey from the Pistons.
Former Knicks forward Kevin Knox is also part of the proposed transaction, relocating to Portland, along with a host of second-round picks.
It was revealed on Friday that Payton II failed his physical, and according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, the teams “have until Saturday to go through with the deal as a technical pass of the physical or rescind the entire trade.”
Payton, who has been limited to just 15 appearances with the Blazers this season — with whom he signed a three-year, $26 million deal this summer — had abdominal surgery over the summer and didn’t make his season debut until Jan. 2. Payton missed the team’s first 35 contests and has played 17 minutes per game upon returning.
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The Athletic also reported that Payton had been “playing through pain” while in Portland at the encouragement of the staff, who gave him Toradol shots along the way. The Warriors were unaware, according to the report, of those details.
As of now, no final decision has been made regarding the four-team deal.
It was one of the more significant deals reported during a flurry of activity Thursday that theoretically would provide a much-needed new start in Detroit for Wiseman, in particular. The 7-foot project was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and ultimately, he underwhelmed in Golden State in an injury-plagued tenure.
