Cameron Payne is still on the market as training camp gets close, and that alone is a little hard to believe for a former Suns Finals contributor.
The point guard has long fit the profile of a useful bench guard in short stretches: the kind of player who can change the pace for a few minutes when the shot is falling and the confidence is rolling. Suns fans know the streaky side of that package well, but they also know the upside. Payne was a solid spark off the bench when Phoenix needed one.
Even so, the door in Phoenix is shut. The Suns are committed to the Devin Booker and Jalen Green tandem, even with the fit concerns that come with it and with Green’s minutes expected to dip. Neither player is a natural point guard, but Payne still wouldn’t crack the rotation ahead of the options already in the building.
Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, and Jamaree Bouyea are all ahead of him in that fight for minutes, and that competition is also tied to a larger battle for a starting role in The Valley. In that mix, Payne doesn’t have a path.
Bouyea, in particular, is the one who makes Payne unnecessary. He is younger, stronger on defense, and pairs well with Goodwin in a way Payne never really could. He is not the better 3-point shooter, but he is the more complete two-way guard and doesn’t become a target on the defensive end.
Pat Spencer also enters the picture after being added on a two-way contract, and he is expected to push for a larger role as well. That only adds to the congestion in the backcourt.
Payne still makes sense as a veteran backup somewhere. The Sacramento Kings, with Darius Acuff Jr. and a need for experienced help around him, would be one possible fit.
With Russell Westbrook calling it a career, there is another opening for a player like him somewhere else too. He last played for the Philadelphia 76ers, and a team like that could certainly use a veteran who can give them about 12 minutes a night off the bench.
But as far as Phoenix is concerned, that chapter is over. Maybe there was a time when Kevin Durant was there that a return would have made sense, though Payne’s view of his time with the Suns would not have changed. Now the Suns have moved on, and so has the roster around him.
It may be the end of the line for Payne in the NBA. If so, the 2021 NBA Finals will have to do.
In Other News...
Luke Kennard Could Force A Real Suns Lineup Decision
Luke Kennards arrival gives the Suns something they have been short on around the edges of the roster: another shooter who can also keep the ball moving. If his passing gains carry over, he could become more than a specialist, because Phoenix has been looking for cleaner spacing and a little more playmaking to support the scoring around Jalen Green, Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks.
The tricky part is that Kennards value may not be limited to spot minutes. His defensive limitations are still part of the equation, but the offensive fit is good enough to make the Suns think harder about how they want their best five arranged. At some point, that kind of balance can turn a bench addition into a lineup decision, and Phoenix may have to decide how much creation it wants on the floor without giving up too much defense. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Rotation Squeeze Puts Three Players In A Tough Spot
The Suns rotation picture is getting tighter, and the pressure is starting to show on a few familiar names. With new roster additions and more competition around the lineup, Ryan Dunn, Jamaree Bouyea and Jalen Green are all in line to see less floor time than they did before, which is never a comfortable place for players trying to carve out a steady role.
For Dunn, the squeeze goes beyond simply losing minutes, because his place in the long-term plan suddenly looks less secure as the season unfolds. Bouyea is expected to have a smaller part to play than he did a year ago, and Green, whose usage is already headed in the wrong direction, could wind up sliding even further down the pecking order if the minutes keep shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Front Office Faces Growing Heat Over Devin Booker Plan
The Suns keep living in the present, and that approach has become a defining part of how the franchise is viewed around the league. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports recently pointed to the organizations thin long-range planning and its habit of moving draft capital as reasons Phoenix has made itself harder to sustain over time, even while trying to stay competitive around Devin Booker, Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks.
There have been bright spots, including some solid drafting and a few useful finds among lesser-known players, but the bigger concern is how little flexibility remains if the team needs to pivot. Phoenix has already pushed a lot of its future assets into the now, and the bill on that strategy is still waiting down the road. [Read more 🡒]