Gary Payton II - James Wiseman trade in danger; Warriors must decide whether to void deal by Saturday

We were happy, back in the good old day of Feb 9

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

After a failed physical exam for Gary Payton II, the multi-team deal between Warriors-Blazers-Pistons-Hawks is in "serious jeopardy", per @ShamsCharania and @anthonyVslater

From Slater and Shams at The Athletic:

The Warriors ruled him as a failed physical on Friday, and have until Saturday to go through with the deal as a technical pass of the physical or rescind the entire trade.

This was a surprise revelation to the Warriors during the intake process. There have been behind the scenes discussions on Friday about the possibility of amendments to the trade — or full reversal of the deal. The amount of parties involved (four teams, four players) complicates matters.

Payton, according to sources, had been playing through pain in Portland. Sources added that the Blazers training staff had been pushing him to gut through it, giving him Toradol shots. This had not been relayed to the Warriors during the negotiation process.

Payton had abdominal surgery during the summer. The Blazers initially projected he’d be ready for the regular season. But his rehab lingered, his timeline kept getting pushed back and Payton ended up missing the season’s first 35 games, hinting after his return that he still didn’t feel fully right, mentioning a few setbacks.

Jason Dumas @JDumasReports

Source: GPII will undergo further testing. He’s expected to get an another X-ray this evening.

Marcus Thompson II @ThompsonScribe

What’s the tougher ask: getting hustled and waiting for GP2 to get healthy, or welcoming Wiseman back into the fold after giving up on him? That’s the Warriors’ decision

Marcus Thompson II @ThompsonScribe

It’s a four-team deal, so nixing part means nixing all of it. Sounds like the league is saying no amendments (probably since it’s past the deadline). So either sign off or pull the plug are the options. Could end up making exception

Bill Oram @billoram

Blazers GM Joe Cronin defended the Blazers handling of Gary Payton II, saying the team would not have played him if they did not feel he was healthy or was at risk. Full comments:

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the Warriors go through with the deal anyway?

Yes, they have until Saturday to decide. HOWEVER, one report said GP2 would be sidelined for perhaps three months, so he would not be helpful short of a Finals appearance.

This would still result in a considerable luxury tax savings from the difference between JW’s and GP2’s salaries.

Can the Warriors rework the trade?

Not sure. We are in an edge case of the collective bargaining agreement. Because the trade deadline is past, it is likely that the deal either happens or is voided. Take it or leave it.

Probably no new side deal can be worked out taking place NOW. But in theory, there could be a handshake agreement for POR, for instance, after the season ends, to trade GSW back two of the second round picks for a Top 59 protected pick. The trustworthiness of the POR management may be suspect of course.

Would the whole four team trade be voided or could the Warriors just void the last trade with POR (GP2 for 5 picks)?

Not 100% sure, but all sources are talking like it’s all or nothing on the full four-team trade.

Could the Warriors undo the whole trade and just keep Wiseman and trade him over the summer?

Yes. This might be a good time to delete or edit anything bad you’ve written about Wiseman in the last 20 hours… just in case.

So how does this all end?

Has this saga been predictable at any point by human minds?

My guess is that the Warriors accept the deal, have an agreement that POR gives back one or two picks or maybe a player in the summer off-season. GSW gets some tax savings, GP2 gets out of POR but may never be the same, Wiseman gets a new start.