Gary Payton II is Acquired by the Warriors in a Four-team Transaction That is Completed

The Golden State Warriors have decided to go through with completion of a four-team trade to acquire Gary Payton II from Portland despite concerns that arose surrounding the guard’s health following offseason surgery for a core muscle injury that sidelined him until last month.

An individual with direct knowledge of the circumstances claimed on Sunday that the Warriors had spoken to the NBA regarding the Trail Blazers’ handling of the trade and details regarding Payton’s medical condition, as the latter’s Friday physical raised concerns that put the trade in jeopardy. Because no specifics of the negotiations and discussions were made public, the person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The trade that sent center James Wiseman to Detroit had to be canceled by the defending champions by Sunday night. Portland will also transfer its 2026 and 2028 second-round draft picks to Golden State in exchange for Memphis’ 2026 and its own 2028 second-round picks.

In exchange for forward Kevin Knox II from the Blazers and three conditional second-round picks from the Hawks, the Pistons sent forward Saddiq Bey to the Hawks in a trade.

With Stephen Curry out with a left leg injury at least until after the All-Star break, the 30-year-old Payton, who was a crucial defensive stopper for Golden State during their championship run a year ago, would immediately add depth to the backcourt.

Uncertainty surrounds Payton’s prognosis for the remainder of the campaign. He played against Golden State in a win Wednesday night at Portland before rejoining his former team ahead of the trade deadline a day later. Over 15 games, Payton has scored 4.1 points, pulled down 2.6 rebounds, and distributed 1.5 assists.

Prior to agreeing to trade Payton to Golden State, the Blazers were confident in his health, according to general manager Joe Cronin on Friday.

“He had been cleared and we were confident that he was healthy when he was playing,” Cronin said. “If we had believed he was in danger or wasn’t healthy, we wouldn’t have brought him back.”

Portland head coach Chauncey Billups agreed.

“No man would ever be forced to play by us. Whether it’s medical or whether a guy just doesn’t feel like he can play that night — say he’s got a headache or say he’s just got a lot of stress at home, or say he has a death in the family,” Billups said. “Because I’m always afraid of pushing someone to play and then something actually happening, I’d never do it.”