The 2023 NBA Trade Deadline was a relatively busy one. While the biggest trades happened in the days and nights leading up to the deadline day, there was still a good amount of action and transactions made. 12 deals were finalized on Thursday, with the biggest one occurring in the wee hours of the night when Kevin Durant was traded by the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns.
One of the deals that flew under the radar a little bit was the Portland Trail Blazers getting involved in what was originally a three-team deal. It had been reported throughout the day that the Golden State Warriors and Detroit Pistons were involved in trade negotiations with Saddiq Bey and James Wiseman at the heart of the discussion.
Both players ended up being moved, but Bey didn’t go to Golden State. Instead, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks and Wiseman ended up in the Motor City. Kevin Knox II was heading to Golden State for salary cap purposes along with five second-round picks.
After that, the trade was expanded to include the Trail Blazers, who ended up with Knox and five second-round picks. But they also shocking parted ways with Gary Payton II, who was their biggest free agent acquisition last season.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Gary Payton II, Portland Trail Blazers & Golden State Warriors Updates
Payton was expected to be a nice upgrade for the roster around Damian Lillard, someone who could get the ton defensively and do some of the dirty work on the court. He ended up playing in only 15 games with Portland after signing a three-year deal and beating out multiple other suitors in free agency.
According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, one source revealed to him that the motivation behind making the deal, from Portland’s perspective, was that Payton let them know that he no longer wanted to be in Portland. When the possibility arose to return to the Warriors, he was reportedly ecstatic.
This has become a troubling trend for the Trail Blazers that they need to get to the bottom of. They have a star player in Lillard to build the roster around and who has committed to the franchise, but they cannot get anyone else to do the same.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Gary Payton II, Portland Trail Blazers & Golden State Warriors Updates
A player seeking an exit barely halfway through his first season with the franchise is certainly not a good look. While Lillard remains committed to the franchise, for now, it will be interesting to see how this impacts the future of Jerami Grant.
Grant is eligible for an extension in-season but can earn a lot more in the offseason so he is likely to wait. How he and Lillard view the team’s deadline deals will have a lasting impact on their relationships with the franchise.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Gary Payton II, Portland Trail Blazers & Golden State Warriors Updates
In addition to Payton, the team also traded Josh Hart to the New York Knicks and took part in a three-team trade with the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets. Coming back in those deals are Cam Reddish and Matisse Thybulle, so all the Trail Blazers did at the deadline was add three forwards who have underachieved in one way or another thus far in their respective careers.
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