New Orleans Pelicans
Wouldn’t you love having Elfrid Payton back at this point?
The Phoenix Suns actually had a decent enough starting point guard on their roster last season and let him go – and we were told by local radio show hosts that that was a foregone conclusion very early in the offseason.
Sure, Payton stunk for his final nine games in a Suns uniform but let’s put two things into perspective: his team was God-awful for his entire stay (including a majority of the time without Devin Booker), and he was wearing hair blinders.
This season his hair is at a normal and manageable length clearing up his vision, and he is on a good team and – while we’ll see if his success lasts – he would definitely be an upgrade for the Suns had he been retained like he should have been.
Unfortunately though, the Pelicans aren’t going to trade Payton unless someone throws a wicked stupid offer their way, and therefore they have the most efficient starting point guard (based on salary – $3M in the league this season) in the NBA, and they don’t have anyone else at this point that could help the Suns.
Maybe Frank Clark, but the Suns already have a Frank Clark in both Elie Okobo and De’Anthony Melton, and truthfully, Suns fans would rather see Elie Okobo since he’s already here then trade another asset in the hope that he is a diamond in the rough.