In the NBA, before a player is traded to a team, he must go through a complete physical to ensure he's healthy or at least as healthy as expected. This is normally routine, but that isn't always the case.

In 2023, Gary Payton II was traded to the Golden State Warriors, but it was originally held up because Payton didn't pass his physical. The Warriors' doctor diagnosed him with a core muscle injury that would keep him out for at least a month.

Golden State ended up going through with the trade, which involved multiple other teams and players, because the discovery of the injury didn't occur until after the trade deadline, so the Warriors could not negotiate a new deal. The Warriors filed a complaint with the NBA over the matter but ultimately decided not to seek more compensation.

While Golden State ultimately chose not to blow up an entire deal over one player's injury, some traded players in the past didn’t have the same fate in this type of situation. Teams were quick to nix what were initially deemed as done deals after players failed their physicals.

Let’s look at four of the most notable voided trades in the NBA due to medical concerns.

Thunder send Tyson Chandler back to Hornets in 2009

The New Orleans Hornets were supposed to unload Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a haul that included Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith, and draft rights to DeVon Hardin. OKC was really looking forward to adding the defensive-minded center to a core featuring Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green.

As Chandler was just settling into his new situation, news broke that OKC would be rescinding the deal due issues concerning the 7-footer's left big toe. OKC’s resident team physician at the time, Dr. Carlan Yates, reportedly advised against keeping Chandler since there was a great risk of re-injury to give him a clean bill of health.

“This is absolutely crazy. I'm super shocked. This is nuts,” Chandler described the situation in an ESPN report.

Making things even more bizarre for Chandler was that he was bothered by a different injury at the time and felt no toe pain.

Pistons rescind trade for Donatas Motiejunas in 2016

After impressing for the Houston Rockets, Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton were acquired by the Detroit Pistons back in the 2015-16 NBA season in a three-team trade that also included the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Lithuanian big was getting set to make his Pistons debut when doctors revealed that he failed his routine medical test.

Making this more controversial was the fact Motiejunas claimed Detroit purposely failed his physical since the team suddenly got a change of heart about the deal. The Pistons were supposed to give the Rockets a protected first-round pick in return.

 “The medical examination is a funny thing,” Motiejunas said. “The team doctor simply says whether you pass or don’t, although they may not even do any checks. Those 48 hours actually just let the team decide whether it wants a player or not. The Pistons announced I did not pass the medical, although I surely did pass it and played even before it.”

Motiejunas returned to H-Town soon after and finished the season with the Rockets.

Nets void acquisition of Shareef Abdur-Rahim in 2005

The Nets, who were still in Newark at the time, thought they had a reliable player in Shareef Abdur-Rahim when they acquired him from the Portland Trail Blazers. The onetime NBA All-Star, however, would never suit up for the team after he failed his physical. The deal was just put on hold at first as both sides tried to come up with a compromise.

The Nets initially did not disclose the nature of the medical problem, but reports later indicated that they believed Abdur-Rahim had issues with his knee. The 6-foot-9 forward has since claimed that the knee was a non-issue, and he never missed a game in his career for that reason.

Sean Elliott stays with Pistons after Rockets nix trade in 1994

Sean Elliott is a beloved figure in San Antonio, but he could have actually played for the rival Houston Rockets in 1994. The 6-foot-8 forward was with the Pistons in ’93-‘94 and was supposed to be moved to H-Town in exchange for Robert Horry and Matt Bullard.

Houston refused to push through with the deal following reports that Elliot was deemed unfit during his medicals. To this day, the Rockets have not revealed the exact issue that led them to return Elliott back to the Pistons. All three players eventually returned to their respective teams before Elliot rejoined the Spurs the following year.