Payton fails physical, Blazers perplexed
Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said Friday the team was confident Gary Payton II was healthy before agreeing to trade him to Golden State in a four-team deal that could be at risk.
The Athletic reported that Payton had failed Golden State's physical Friday. The Warriors can either allow the trade to go through anyway, or rescind it.
Cronin said he was aware of the report but hadn't been contacted by the Warriors, Hawks or Pistons, who were also in the deal.
“I haven't heard from any teams about this. So for now I have to defer,” said Cronin, who was at a news conference to speak about Portland's moves at the NBA trade deadline.
Payton's time in Portland was brief. He signed a $28 million, three-year contract last summer after playing on Golden State's NBA championship team. But he missed the first 35 games of the season in Portland because of a core injury that required surgery. The Athletic reported that that Payton could be sidelined for two to three months with the injury. The report also cite unnamed sources that said he had been playing through pain in Portland.
“He had been cleared and we were confident that he was healthy when he was playing,” Cronin said.
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