As Gary Payton II waits to see if the Warriors will go ahead with a trade to bring him back to the Bay Area or rescind the four-team deal, his agent is refuting a major part of the situation that is unfolding.
Aaron Goodwin, Payton's agent, spoke to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes on Saturday and denied that his client took Toradol shots in order to play for the Portland Trail Blazers this season.
While first reporting Friday that Payton failed his Warriors physical, The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater cited sources who said the Blazers' training staff had pushed the 30-year-old guard to play through the pain of a core muscle injury and administered Toradol shots.
Shortly after the news broke Friday, Portland general manager Joe Cronin met with local media and defended how the Trail Blazers handled Payton's injury, claiming the defensive star was healthy and cleared to play.
Payton underwent core muscle surgery in July, shortly after signing a three-year, $26 million contract with the Blazers. He originally was expected to be ready for the start of the 2022-23 NBA season in October, but he ultimately made his Blazers debut on Jan. 2 and has played in 15 games since.
With Payton failing his physical Friday, the Warriors have until 6:30 p.m. PT Sunday to make a decision on the trade, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Saturday, citing a source.
Golden State Warriors
Sources told NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole on Friday that the Warriors are interested in waiving Payton's failed physical in order to keep him on the roster, even if he misses time with the core muscle injury.
RELATED: Five buyout candidates who fit Warriors' biggest needs
While the Warriors haven't made a public decision on Payton and the trade, NBC Sports Bay Area's Dalton Johnson reported that Payton has a locker and a No. 8 jersey at Chase Center.
And with a hard deadline Sunday, the Warriors' decision should come soon.