The bizarre trade deadline saga involving the Golden State Warriors appears to be coming to an end. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Warriors will reconfirm their trade for Gary Payton II, amidst ambiguity after Payton failed his physical on Friday.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors were striving to ensure that they could accept the deal while still dealing with the Portland Trail Blazers in the offseason. The Blazers allegedly didn’t disclose that Payton was still dealing with problems from his offseason core surgery, nor that he was taking painkillers to play (at the urging of the team doctors).
Despite playing the night before the trade against the Warriors, Warrior’s medical experts believe Payton will need to be rested and sent for rehabbing for two or three months for the injury to heal and get back to normal. The Warriors may be able to retaliate against Portland at a later time by accepting the trade but failing the physical.
The move by the Warriors seems to be the best course of action, Gary Payton II offers salary relief and has a two-year contract even if he is unable for the rest of the season. Payton sat next to Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers at Chase Center on Saturday night. He is spotted wearing a Warriors sweatshirt. That appeared to be the Warriors showing interest in getting him back.
Golden State Warriors Entrusts Gary Payton II to be fit for the Playoff’s
The reigning and defending NBA champions finally got back their best defender off the bench in the 2021/2022 NBA season. Gary Payton II despite failing to pass the physical test still gets chosen by the Warriors management. According to reports Payton will be put for atleast two months to completely rehab and get back to normal.
Gary Payton II averaged 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1 assists and 2 steals per game in the 2021-22 regular season. In the playoff’s he averaged 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2 steals and one block per game. Payton shot at 65% from the field and 53.3% from three point range. His ability to score shots at high percent efficiency makes him a perfect fit in the Warriors lineup.
Gary Payton II can boost the bench strength of the Golden State. If he is healthy in the playoff’s then the Warriors can compete against the stacked teams in the Western Conference.
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