Warriors Expect Gary Payton II to Miss at Least a Month of NBA Action

• The Golden State Warriors expect Gary Payton II to miss at least a month
• The Warriors decided to proceed with the 4-team deal despite the 30-year-old failing a physical
• Payton was expected to miss two to three months after the Warriors discovered a core muscle issue

The Golden State Warriors are optimistic that Gary Payton II will miss just a month of NBA action following the completion of the 4-team trade that was close to falling apart.

Payton failed a medical after the trade and was expected to be out for two to three months, meaning he could've returned in the middle of the playoffs, which may be too late.

Payton, who played a key role in the Warriors' run to the NBA Finals was set to return to the Warriors. However, a core muscle injury was discovered during his physical that could've collapsed the complex 4-team trade.

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The 6'3" guard, son of Hall of Famer Gary Payton, underwent abdominal surgery in the summer and missed the Blazers' first 35 games, making his debut on January 2nd.

Payton's return timeline

According to Warriors general manager Bob Myers said, the 30-year-old will be reevaluated in one month.

"It was our determination he's not ready to play right now. But when we hopefully do get him back at some point—the goal would be pre-playoffs. That would be the hope, but until we get a sense of how the rehab process is going, I can't really speculate," via Bleacher Report.

The reigning NBA champions filed a formal complaint to the NBA against the Blazers, which is now under investigation. Myers declined to get into much detail about the matter but revealed what he wants expects.

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"What do I want [from the investigation process]? Whatever the NBA says is fair," Myers said Monday. "I just want a fair result," via ESPN.

The Warriors had until Sunday evening to decide whether they would proceed with the deal or cancel the entire trade. They analyzed different options and then decided to complete the trade.

Warriors complaint to NBA

Sports Brief earlier reported on the Warriors lodging a complaint to the NBA against the Blazers for misleading information regarding Payton.

The league is now conducting a review of possible wrong information about Payton, during the four-team trade deadline deal that brought the guard back to San Francisco.

The NBA could fine the Blazers and take away draft picks should an investigation discover "a failure to disclose relevant information" on Payton's status.