Gary Payton II Praises Warriors as 'Player-1st Organization' amid Wiggins' Return

Andrew Wiggins is back with the Golden State Warriors after he was away to address a personal matter, and Gary Payton II—who was sidelined earlier this season after the reigning champions acquired him via trade from the Portland Trail Blazers—praised the organization's approach to the situation.

Tim Kawakami of The Athletic shared Payton's comments:

"This organization, it's a player-first organization. They want to make sure we're mentally and physically ready to come to work and do what we've gotta do. Wigs was gone for a period of time for Wigs' reasons and they didn't press him or push him to come back and get ready to play. Just what he had to handle and he came back.

"That's what they did with me. I wasn't ready (immediately after the trade). They got me ready until it was safe for me to go out there. Just kudos to the organization for caring about their players and letting us deal with life. And make sure we're ready for basketball."

Wiggins hasn't played since Feb. 13, although he told reporters his conditioning is "not terrible" and he hopes to return in the near future.

He also echoed some of Payton's comments and thanked the Warriors for allowing him to step away and respecting the decision.

As for Payton, Golden State initially decided to file a complaint against the Trail Blazers, saying they misled the Warriors about the severity of the guard's abdominal injury, but it has since elected not to pursue the grievance.

The Oregon State product, who played for the Warriors last season, returned to the court March 26 for the first time since Feb. 8.

Golden State will be in a much better position to defend its title with Wiggins and Payton back on the floor for the playoffs.