After much controversy surrounding the health of Gary Payton II, it seems as though his trade to the Warriors will go through. Dec 30, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Gary Payton II poses with his championship ring before the start of the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
By Michael Dixon on

On Friday, a day after Gary Payton II was traded to the Golden State Warriors in a four-team deal, moments before the NBA Trade Deadline, it was unsure if the deal would actually happen. A failed physical from the Warriors and the news that Payton was playing hurt in his final games with the Portland Trail Blazers put the trade in jeopardy. But on Saturday, a happy ending seems to have been reached.

Before the game, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported that the Warriors had set up a locker for  Payton but also acknowledged that the “situation remains fluid.” Late in the game, though, Slater sent out another update that seemed to clarify things.

“Gary Payton II has emerged from the Warriors’ tunnel/locker room area and is now seated next to Bob Myers and Mike Dunleavy Jr. for the fourth quarter of this Warriors-Lakers game,” Slater tweeted.

The general opinion of NBA Twitter was that this likely means that Payton will remain a Warrior and the trade will go through.

If the drama around this trade has taught us anything, it’s that we shouldn’t jump to conclusions until the trade becomes official. That said, Myers is Golden State’s general manager. Dunleavy is the team’s vice president of basketball operations. If Payton is sitting with them at a Warriors game, it’s a good sign that the trade will be made official before Sunday’s 9:30 p.m. ET deadline.

[Anthony Slater on Twitter.]

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