SAN FRANCISCO — Gary Payton II, out with a fractured left elbow and ligament damage, could return at some point during the Western Conference Finals, coach Steve Kerr said Sunday.

Though there are no assurances that Payton will heal in time to play, the 29-year-old is making progress and is expected to be re-evaluated on May 19, which is the day between Game 1 and 2 of the WCF — opponent to be determined between Phoenix and Dallas, who play Game 7 on Sunday night.

And though the re-evaluation is fast approaching, Kerr played down the odds that Payton will play in the penultimate series.

“We’re not saying he’s going to play, either,” Kerr said. “It would be a long shot for him to play, but I think it’s a possibility.”

Payton broke his elbow on a hard fall when Dillon Brooks committed a hard foul on a fast break layup attempt early during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal in Memphis. Payton said he thought he hyperextended his elbow and attempted his free throws thinking he’d be returning to the game. But x-rays eventually revealed a fracture, ruling him out for at least three weeks.

Payton, speaking for the first time since his injury, harbors no ill will toward Brooks, who reached out.

“We talked, it’s all good,” Payton said. “It’s a basketball play, I know he didn’t mean it. No hard feelings, no bad blood, it’s all good. It’s playoff basketball.”

Brooks was slapped with a Flagrant 2 foul and an automatic ejection after the foul. He was suspended for Game 3, a game the Warriors won handily. But Kerr’s comment that Brooks “broke the code” on the hard foul stirred up controversy around the series that snowballed into a contentious back-and-forth between both sides.

Payton was not wearing a brace on his left elbow while he took questions from media on Sunday, saying he’s been doing some strength and conditioning and any activity he can that does not require his left shooting elbow. A couple weeks off for Payton should not hinder his conditioning, but he’s keeping up with what he can. All he needs to play now: More time to heal.

“Getting better every day, it’s feeling better every day. But it’s gonna take time,” Payton said. “We’re not trying to put a date on when I can or when I can’t or whatever.”

Should Payton return for the conference finals, he would be a crucial element to the Warriors’ defensive attack — especially in a potential match-up defending Devin Booker and Chris Paul should they play Phoenix.