NBA rumors: Warriors' Gary Payton II decision deadline is 6:30 p.m. PT Sunday

Warriors

Report: Dubs have until Sunday night to make GP2 decision

/ by Ali Thanawalla

Warriors

The Warriors have a big decision to make regarding Gary Payton II's health, and they reportedly might not come to a conclusion until Sunday.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Saturday, citing sources, that the Warriors have until 6:30 p.m. PT on Sunday to decide whether to go forward with the four-team trade that would net them an injured Payton or rescind the entire deal, undoing everything they worked out with the Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks.

ESPN Sources: The Golden State Warriors have until 9:30 PM ET on Sunday to make decision on Gary Payton IIâs physical and the fate of a four-team trade with Blazers, Hawks and Pistons. Franchise may indeed push into tomorrow to evaluate Payton's abdominal injury and make choice.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 11, 2023

The Warriors, Blazers, Pistons and Hawks all announced the deal in some form Thursday after the 12 p.m. PT NBA trade deadline, but two days later, Payton failed his physical, sources confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area, putting the entire trade in jeopardy of falling apart.

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.

The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported Friday, citing sources, that the Blazers pushed Payton to play through a core muscle injury and administered Toradol shots to manage the pain.

On Saturday, Wojnarowski reported that the Warriors believe the Blazers withheld medical information related to Payton's injury, which he had surgery for in July.

Golden State believes important information on Paytonâs abdominal injury was withheld prior to Thursday deadline deal involving James Wiseman, Saddiq Bey and several draft picks. Warriors expect Payton to miss a significant part of the remaining regular season, per sources. https://t.co/aYeKLSg1IE
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 11, 2023

Portland general manager Joe Cronin spoke to reporters Friday and defended his training staff against any wrongdoing, claiming that Payton was healthy enough to play.

Because the trade deadline has passed, the four teams can't modify the complex deal. The Warriors either accept the trade as is and bring Payton back into the fold after letting him leave in free agency over the summer, or they pull out of the deal, bringing back former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman onto the roster.

If the Warriors decide to go ahead with the trade, Payton is expected to miss a significant amount of the remainder of the regular season, Wojnarowski reported, citing sources. On Friday, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area's Dalton Johnson that there is "no exact timetable" for Payton's recovery.

Regarding "no exact timetable," three months sounds like an "overestimation," per source. No timetable until further information is assessed.

The news certainly came as a surprise. https://t.co/S8lXZEAjWG
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) February 11, 2023

ESPN's Bobby Marks reported Saturday that the NBA could launch an investigation on behalf of the Warriors, but that would take time before it is completed.

The NBA sent each team a memo last week stating that all medical information must be disclosed at the time of the trade.

The league can certainly lodge an investigation on behalf of Golden St. but that could take weeks/months, not likely 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/QUCpwMiCi3
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 11, 2023

While Payton was at the Warriors' facility Friday, the team hasn't had much to say about what's going on, though coach Steve Kerr provided a little insight into the situation before Saturday's game.

"The players are always on edge around the trade deadline, so once the deadline passed, the rest of the guys on the team were able to take in the news," Kerr told reporters at Chase Center. "And obviously, this whole thing has been strange. So it is what it is. There's not a whole lot to do or say, so we're just waiting it out and seeing how it plays out."

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Golden State hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night and the Washington Wizards on Monday night before traveling to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Tuesday night.