Portland lured Payton away from Golden State with a three-year deal for $28 million. He had abdominal surgery in July, and didn t make his debut until Jan. 12. But according to Jason Quick of The Athletic, Portland traded Payton because "he indicated he didn’t want to be in Portland and was ecstatic to return to Golden State," presumably when his old team visited Portland the night before the deadline.
It got a bit lost in the shuffle of Thursday’s trade deadline activity, but one of the more interesting moves at the deadline was the Trail Blazers trading away guard Gary Payton II after he had appeared in just 15 games with the team.
Portland Trail Blazers star Jerami Grant confirmed the team made a four-year, $112 million max contract offer this season. The 6'8" forward told The Athletic's.