Report: Gary Payton II fails physical putting four-team trade in jeopardy NBA Power Rankings: Bucks top post trade deadline edition Siakam, Fox, Edwards named All-Star Game injury replacements Anthony Davis pushes back on viral video of him seeming disinterested in LeBron’s record Three things to Know: Players to watch on the buyout market

Gary Payton IIHis return to the Warriors has been delayed — and the entire four-team trade that sent him back to the Bay Area — could fall apart after he failed his post-trade physical.

Medical checkups are considered a routine and almost forgotten part of the trading process, but Payton blew it with the Warriors. Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic report..

According to sources, Payton played through pain in Portland. The sources added that the Blazers’ training staff made him gut it by giving him shots of Toradol. This was not conveyed to the warriors during the negotiation process.

During the summer, Payton underwent abdominal surgery. The Blazers initially assumed he would be ready for the regular season. But his rehab dragged on, his schedule kept getting pushed back, and Payton ended up missing the first 35 games of the season, hinting after his return that he still didn’t feel at his best, citing several setbacks.

Since this happened after the expiration of the deal, this deal cannot be changed. Either the Warriors forgo physical training and it continues as is, or the entire trade is voided and everyone returns to their previous team. The Warriors are considering a deal. reported by Monte Pool of NBC Sports Bay Area.

League Sources: Yes, GP2 failed his physical.
But the Warriors could waive him to keep his rights.
The situation is unstable (partly due to other expected physical indicators), but it is possible that the full deal will still be completed.

— Monte Pool (@MontePooleNBCS) February 11, 2023

There are layers here, but we’ll start with the details of the deal itself, which unfolds as follows:

• Warriors receive: Gary Payton II
• Pistons receive: James Wiseman

• Trailblazers receive: Kevin Knoxfive future second round picks
• Hawks get: saddik bay

As for “no exact schedule,” three months sounds like a “reassessment,” according to the source. No timetable until more information is received.

The news certainly came as a surprise. https://t.co/S8lXZEAjWG

— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) February 11, 2023

The second part of the report – that the Trail Blazers’ medical staff pushed Payton to play despite feeling unwell after surgery – is a concern that the players’ union could look into.

Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups denied this information.

“We would never force a guy to play. Whether it’s a medical problem or the guy just doesn’t feel like he can play that night — let’s say he has a headache, or he just went through stress at home, or that his family has died,” Billups said. through the Associated Press. “I would never force someone to play, because I would always be afraid that I would do it, and then something would actually happen.”

If the report is correct, this would not be the first time in professional sports that a team’s medical staff has taken care of the team’s health.

Payton signed a three-year, $26.1 million contract with the Trail Blazers after last season and then underwent abdominal surgery (same surgery Damian Lillard was last season). He was expected to return at the start of training camp, but missed the first 35 games of the season as he continued to recover.

The Milwaukee Bucks have won nine in a row and added a quality player to the trade deadline in Jay Crowder — which puts them at the top of this week’s NBC Sports NBA Power Rankings, post-trade deadline edition.

1. Bucks (38-17, #3 last week) Winners in nine games in a row, mostly with defense – a defense that is about to get better with the addition of Jay Crowder at the deadline. “I just feel like Jay is a winner at the end of the day,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “His teams are either in the Conference Finals or the NBA Finals, it seems, every year for the last five or six years. You just look up and he plays. And there’s a reason, you know, I think his stamina, his defense, what he does on this end of the court is special, and also his shooting and his offensive IQ. He does a lot of things that are related to winning.”

2. Celtics (39-16, HB 2) Boston took a small step towards the trade deadline by bringing in an experienced big man. Mike Muscala from the Thunder, and it’s all about the playoffs. It’s not about Muscala running a lot in the postseason (he’ll probably be the winning cigar), it’s about getting Robert Williams III and Al Horford in the playoffs healthy. Otherwise, Boston has a tight schedule, five games in a row, and Muscala is the kind of solid veteran Joe Mazzulla can trust to excel in these games and keep key players rested in the games that matter in April. There’s a big test ahead of the All-Star break against the Grizzlies and Bucks.

3. 76ers (34-19, LW 1). Jalen McDaniels located in and Matisse Tibull Eliminated in a four-team trade to the 76ers. McDaniels is a 6’9″ forward who is a good defender (not as good as Tybull, but good) who brings in more offensive juice than the guy he replaces (37.4% of 3 this season can complete through the contact at the ring). Philadelphia’s schedule looks a lot easier this week after the deadline, they’ll have a tough game against the Knicks but then get a refreshed Nets without Durant. After the All-Star break, the Sixers will be tested by a busy schedule.

4. Cavaliers (35-22, LW 5). One of the few teams that doesn’t do anything at the trade deadline, and it makes a lot of sense: The front office loves their young team and wants to see how it looks in the playoff pot before making changes. Cavs don’t redeem Kevin LoveOr he will stick around. Evan Mobley He’s been playing better lately (after a flat start to the season), averaging 18.9 points per game on 54% shooting (plus six rebounds per night) over the past 10 games. The Cavaliers have a tough week ahead of them and should have some wins.

5. Nuggets (38-18, LW 4). Denver made a good upgrade to the right position in the deadline – Bones Highland outside and in the center Thomas Bryant is in after the trade from the Lakers. Bryant has been a fan favorite in Los Angeles as a big offensive player, and he should be able to give the Nuggets 15 minutes a day off the bench while Nikola Jokic gets some rest. If the Nuggets need another point guard, there are plenty of them on the buyout market. On the court, the Nuggets have won 4 of 6 and are on their way to the All-Star break, and next Monday against the Heat looks interesting.

6. Grizzlies (33-21, HB 7). The Grizzlies lost 8 out of 10, no one was afraid of them, and although they made a nice little move – they brought in a sniper Luke Kennard — The West was hit by an influx of elite talent like Durant and Irving. CJ McCollum thought it was some kind of karmic retribution for I am Morant saying that he was not afraid of anyone in the West. Memphis needs a few wins, and spending one Sunday in Boston won’t be easy.

It’s all because @JaMorant said that he was fine in the West 😂😂😂

— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) February 9, 2023

7. Grids (33-22, DV 6). In a matter of days, the era of the Nets’ superstars was over, collapsing under the weight of their own expectations and the egos of the players. Kyrie Irving And Kevin Duran gone, but the Nets aren’t rebuilding from the ground up—they have a roster of good role players that other teams will covet in future trading windows, plus they’ve replenished their supply of draft picks. Plus, with 27 games to go, the Nets have 3.5 games to spare for the top 6 seeds and 6.5 games to make the postseason play-in. That is, these Nets will play after the end of the season, they do not fall out of the playoffs (and the playoffs are quite possible).

8. Heat (30-25, DV 8).While Miami dumped a lot of tires on the retail market, things are back to normal. Kyle Lowry. The Heat tried to find him a new home, but no one was willing, including the Nets, who liked Durant’s massive Suns package better than Miami’s Lowry’s. The Heat made a small deal with Duane Dedmon to make room in the cap and list space, which could allow them to make moves in the buyout market. Miami has several winning games to help break the record this week against Houston and Orlando, and the Heat should be focused on the teams they need to beat, not what they’ve been doing consistently this season.

9. Kings (31-23, DX 9). Sacramento became part of Brooklyn. Kessler Edwards a pay cut because Edwards showed potential as a defensive winger and it was a good roll of the dice for a young low-cost player (cheaper than Matisse Tibull, who the Kings also discussed but didn’t land). Sacramento persevered, going 4-3 in their 7-game road trip, and the team is now home to…