The Phoenix Suns traded away one of their fan favorites last season, Cameron Payne, to the San Antonio Spurs, which gained the Spurs a 2025 second-round pick (via New Orleans) and cash considerations. The Suns received a Protected 2024 second-round pick.
Payne, as we said, was a fan favorite in Phoenix. He was a guy who did all the dirty stuff, brought energy, talked the trash, and still made plays when his name was called. Cameron Payne is a guard that almost every team could use.
From 2019-2023, Payne was a vital role player on the Suns. During his time there, Payne averaged nine points per game, 4.2 assists per game, and 2.6 rebounds per game in 20 minutes per game.
Payne was constantly the guy who relieved Chris Paul, came in, and did what he needed to do, nothing less than that. Recently, he was waived by the San Antonio Spurs. Being waived, he can sign with any team he pleases other than the Suns.
According to Bobby Marks, Payne had a $6.5 million expiring contract and is ineligible to sign with Phoenix. You cannot trade a player to another team; that player gets waived, and the original trading team re-signs him, which is why he is ineligible. In order for the Suns to get him, Paye would have to sign with another team and get waived by that team before the Suns can offer him a contract.
However, other teams are certainly interested in pursuing Payne, especially one Western Conference foe.
“The Wolves are kicking the tires at least internally on to me the best free agent point guard available, Cameron Payne,” SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson said recently. “But as of Friday morning, they have not extended him an offer. The Wolves had a couple of point guards in for free agent workouts going back a few weeks.”
.@DWolfsonKSTP has your #Timberwolves scope with the first practice of training camp two weeks from today!
— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) September 15, 2023
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Payne would be the backup to potential Hall of Fame point guard Mike Conley.