The Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers made waves after striking a deal right before the NBA trade deadline. Little did they know that a full-blown controversy centered around Gary Payton II would make even more headlines than the actual deal. Right now, this saga has taken yet another twist after Payton's agent has come out with a strong statement addressing the injury allegations hounding his client.
The Blazers have taken a lot of flack in the past couple of days after the Warriors found out that Payton had a major injury that could keep him out for months. This put the deal in jeopardy because according to reports, Portland did not inform the Warriors of Payton's injury during the negotiations. To make matters worse, the Blazers reportedly forced the 30-year-old to take Toradol shots so that he could play through the injury.
Payton's own agent, Aaron Goodwin, has now spoken out about these allegations. According to Goodwin, the accusations pertaining to the Toradol shots are false:
“Aaron Goodwin — the agent of Gary Payton II — tells NBA on TNT/Bleacher Report that ‘despite of what’s being reported, my client never took Toradol shots to be available for games during his time in Portland,'” Haynes wrote in his tweet.
This saga has taken yet another twist. Based on this statement, it's now possible that the Blazers really didn't know about the injury when they traded Gary Payton II to the Warriors as part of a four-team megadeal that also involves the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks.
According to reports, the Warriors now have until Sunday to make a decision on whether or not to push through with the trade. How this new development will impact their decision remains to be seen.
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