Report: Blazers face NBA probe after Warriors complain about Payton's injury

The NBA has launched an investigation into the Portland Trail Blazers following the Golden State Warriors' complaint regarding Gary Payton II's injury status, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The Warriors reportedly believe Portland failed to divulge information about Payton's abdominal injury that required surgery last offseason. The Trail Blazers could be forced to forfeit draft picks and pay a fine if the NBA rules there was "a failure to disclose relevant information," according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Golden State will go through with the trade despite the failed physical exam, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania. The Warriors have until 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday to officially decide whether to waive Payton's failed physical or cancel the entire four-team trade. The guard is reportedly set to miss a significant portion of the regular season due to the ailment.

Payton would be sent back to Portland if the team opts to rescind the swap, but it would also return center James Wiseman to Golden State from the Detroit Pistons, wing Saddiq Bey to Detroit from the Atlanta Hawks, and forward Kevin Knox back to Detroit from Golden State.

The Warriors and NBA are reportedly discussing a way to finalize the deal that would still allow them to seek a course of action against the Trail Blazers.

Initial reports suggested Payton was playing through pain in Portland and receiving Toradol injections from the Trail Blazers' training staff to take the floor. However, Payton's agent Aaron Goodwin denied the claims Saturday, saying, "My client never took Toradol shots to be available for games during his time in Portland," according to TNT's Chris Haynes.

Payton, who spent the previous two seasons with the Warriors, missed the first 35 games of 2022-23 while recovering from his offseason abdominal procedure. He didn't debut for Portland until Jan. 2 but did play 15 games since.