Charania: Four-Team Deal Involving Gary Payton II ‘Will Go Through’

Despite a pending NBA review, the four-team deal involving the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors, will go through, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

The Warriors had until 9:30 PM, Eastern time tonight to accept or reject the trade based on Gary Payton II’s failed physical. Golden State won’t pass Payton’s physical exam, but has decided to accept the trade offer.

Portland traded Payton to Golden State on Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline for five second-round picks as part of a larger four-team trade.

The following day, Shams Charania reported Payton failed his physical due to the medical staff finding a core muscle injury that could sideline him for up to three months, putting the four-team trade in jeopardy.

Charania’s report also claimed Payton was given Toradol injections in order to play in games with Portland, information Golden State said wasn’t disclosed prior to the trade. Payton had off-season abdominal surgery, which sidelined him for his first 35 games as a Blazer before he made his season debut Jan. 2.

Today The Athletic corrected it’s claim, reporting Payton had been receiving doses of Toradol orally, not via injection like the initial report claimed.

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 for his pain. Sources have clarified that he was given the Toradol orally, not via injection, as initially reported. This had not been relayed to the Warriors during the negotiation process.

After the initial report, Chris Haynes of TNT Sports and Bleacher Report tweeted a statement from Payton’s agent Aaron Goodwin that claimed Payton “never took Toradol shots to be available for games during his time in Portland.” It should be noted Goodwin also represents Blazers star guard Damian Lillard.

When asked about the reports during a Friday press conference, Blazers general manager Joe Cronin defended the organization’s handling of Payton’s recovery from surgery.

“Player safety is super important to us, it’s a super important thing around the league. We were playing him, he was playing. He had been cleared. We were confident that he was healthy when he was playing. We would not have brought him back if we thought he wasn’t healthy or he was at risk, so you trust that we did the right thing, and you trust that our process was correct. And these reports, I think... The clearance process was proper, so I’ll have to rely on that.”

Last night, after Josh Hart’s first game as a New York Knick — he was also traded by Portland prior to the trade deadline — Hart, unprompted by reporters, praised the Blazers organization and training staff.

“Portland as an organization was great, Joe Cronin has been great. That organization is nothing but a class act. In the front office, in the training room. And I just want to say that that organization is respectful, a class act and does everything by the book.”

Now all that remains in this controversial saga are results from a pending NBA investigation regarding Portland’s handling and disclosure of Payton’s medical situation during trade negotiations with Golden State.