Last week, fans of the Golden State Warriors were ecstatic about the news of Gary Payton II returning to the team.
He had been away for the season, playing with the Portland Trail Blazers, but a big trade had him coming back to the squad he won a championship with just months before.
But just days later, the entire trade was in jeopardy after the Warriors found out that Payton, who is still recovering from surgery, might be out the rest of the season.
They felt they had been misled and lied to and they weren’t happy.
The Warriors have filed a complaint to the NBA against the Blazers for allegedly misleading them over Gary Payton II's injury, per @ShamsCharania
The league will reportedly launch an investigation. pic.twitter.com/XBe410Vvlk
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 12, 2023
They were so unhappy, in fact, that Golden State filed a complaint to the NBA over the weekend, allegedly the Blazers knowingly misinformed them of Payton’s status and recovery.
But then on Sunday, the deal went through and the Payton is officially coming back to the Bay Area.
However, the NBA will still investigate the allegations against the Trail Blazers, which means we haven’t heard the last of this incident.
Payton had adnominal surgery during the summer.
Following that, the timetable for his return was delayed as his recovery was slower than expected.
He missed the first couple of months of the season and has only appeared in 15 games so far, averaging 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists during his 17 minutes on the court.
The Warriors and their fanbase are big supporters of Payton and they were disappointed when he left in the offseason.
His return should be a celebratory event.
The controversy around his trade will surely dissipate over time but it will be interesting to see if the Blazers are fined after the NBA does some investigating into the matter.
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