Warriors owner has clear message for Blazers over Gary Payton II trade

April 28, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob smiles against the Denver Nuggets during the first quarter in game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob sounded off on his feelings toward the Portland Trail Blazers over last month’s trade fiasco.

The Warriors’ trade for Gary Payton II was briefly jeopardized after a routine physical turned up concerns about Payton’s health. Golden State later filed a complaint with the NBA accusing the Blazers of withholding pertinent medical information during trade talks.

In an interview with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Lacob said the Warriors were “shocked” at what they found regarding Payton medically, and suggested the Blazers had been “disingenuous” during trade discussions.

“On the one hand, he was playing (for the Trail Blazers), which would indicate he was healthy,” Lacob said. “But when you ask someone … they only have minutes to make these trades at the trade deadline. It’s kind of an honor code here. Forget what’s in the records, which you see later. I think we felt that they were disingenuous.”

Lacob is probably summarizing how the organization felt here. The Warriors did go through with the trade, but they apparently do not think this is the first time the Blazers have done something like this.

Portland could face NBA discipline depending on the findings of the investigation. Even if that does not happen, they could face perception issues with other front offices if any of them feel the same way the Warriors do.

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