Cam Payne Traded to San Antonio
The Phoenix Suns aren’t done making moves weeks after acquiring Bradley Beal in a trade with the Washington Wizards.
Payne to San Antonio
On Sunday, the Suns completed three deals- one of which sent backup point guard Cameron Payne, a second-round pick, and cash considerations to the San Antonio Spurs. The Suns also acquired three second-round picks from the Orlando Magic in exchange for a first-round pick in 2026. Lastly, the Suns used the vacated roster spot left by Payne to sign former Magic player Bol Bol to a one-year deal.
Payne, 28, spent four seasons with the Suns and has primarily been a backup guard throughout his NBA career. Last season, he averaged 10.3 points, 4.5 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks, on 36.8% shooting from three. His numbers dropped to 6.1 points, 2.9 assists, and two rebounds during the 2023 playoffs.
He missed the first four games of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a sore back. The Suns eventually lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals.
Payne is entering the final year of a 3yr/$19M deal signed with Phoenix in 2021. If he doesn’t receive a contract extension with the Spurs, he can enter free agency next year. The former Murray State standout’s arrival in San Antonio provides the Spurs with a veteran backup to Tre Jones at the point guard spot. Many around the league believe Payne will see growth in his game under Coach Gregg Popovich.
Replenishing the Assets
In the Bradley Beal trade, the Suns sent 6 second round picks, and 4 pick swaps to Washington on top of approximately $3.5M in cash. In the Kevin Durant trade last February with the Brooklyn Nets, the Suns sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and four first-round picks.
Given the number of assets the Suns shipped out in the two trades, the three deals they completed on Sunday are an effort to replenish their assets- primarily draft picks they can use to prepare for the 2023-24 NBA trade deadline.
Getting Bol Bol to sign a one-year deal is a low-risk, high-reward move for Phoenix. He averaged 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 54.6% field goal shooting in 70 regular-season games (33 starts) last season in Orlando. He provides some size and rim protection for Phoenix beyond just Deandre Ayton, and isn’t a ball dominant player. That type of glass cleaning, put back machine is precisely what the Suns need this year with so many mouths to feed offensively.
The Suns Are A More Well Rounded Team
While losing Payne isn’t ideal, they have three elite scorers to cover up what he brought off the bench last year. New Suns Head Coach Frank Vogel just needs to find the right balance between Durant, Beal, and Devin Booker, and the team’s offense shouldn’t miss a beat this fall.
Aside from their loaded starting line-up, the Suns also have some shooters such as Yuta Watanabe. They recently re-signed veteran big man Bismack Biyombo to add some more depth to their front court as well. If anything, the Suns should be a playoff-bound team this season as they have a well-rounded 7-8 man rotation. But as always with top heavy teams, their success ultimately depend on two things: chemistry and health.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Katie Haugland. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.