Gary Payton II ramps up on-court workouts, could return by Sunday

Last updated: 2023/03/23 at 9:10 PM

BigP Published March 23, 2023

The Golden State Warriors could finally get their big trade deadline acquisition on the court in the coming days.

Guard Gary Payton II has ramped up his on-court workouts over the last week and will practice on Saturday, leaving the door open to play in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team announced Thursday.

Payton was acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline, but things became complicated after the deal was agreed to. Payton failed his physical with the Warriors due adductor/core injury issue that he played through during his time with the Trail Blazers. He underwent surgery on his core muscle though last offseason after signing a three-year deal with the Blazers.

The Warriors eventually moved forward with the deal, which was a four-team trade that included them trading James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons. The NBA has opened an investigation into the matter.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr is looking forward to Payton’s return to the court though. He told reporters Wednesday that “things are going well” with Payton, who played a key perimeter defensive role en route to the team’s title last season. He averaged 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15 games with the Blazers this season.

Kerr also said he’s “hopeful” the Warriors will get Andrew Wiggins back soon, too. Wiggins has been out since Feb. 13 due to personal reasons.

The Warriors are sixth in the Western Conference with a 38-36 record. While they are just one game back of the fourth seed, they are also only two games ahead of the 11th-seeded Utah Jazz in the playoff race.

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