SAN FRANCISCO — Gary Payton II took an important step in his recovery from a core muscle injury in the last week.
Payton recently returned to various on-court activities and his workload is expected to intensify in the coming days, the Warriors announced Monday.
Payton has yet to play for the Warriors since they acquired the defensive ace in a four-team deal at the Feb. 9 trade deadline as he continued to deal with pain stemming from an offseason surgery to repair a core muscle injury.
Payton could help provide a defensive lift as they’re amid a tight Western Conference race to the finish, but his timeline remains murky.
Payton, a key rotational piece in last year’s title run, is scheduled to be re-evaluated around March 23, effectively ruling him out for at least the Warriors’ next six games. The team has maintained the hope that he’ll be good to go in time for the postseason.
Payton missed the first 35 games of the season, but played 14 of the last 16 games for the Trail Blazers, including 22 minutes in Portland’s win over Golden State the night before the trade deadline. But Payton failed a routine physical whic put the trade, which shipped former lottery pick James Wiseman to Detroit, in jeopary.
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The NBA has launched an investigation into whether the Portland Trail Blazers failed to disclose pertinent medical information during the trade discussions after the Warriors filed a …read more
Source:: The Mercury News