Former Suns guard could help Eastern Conference contender

In an offseason that has brought with it so much movement of players and the shuffling of many organization’s decks, the Phoenix Suns have been at the forefront of the action. Not only did they turn Chris Paul into Bradley Beal, but they finally moved on from Deandre Ayton.

Dealing the former first overall pick for four players may look like the Suns went to even greater lengths to shore up their depth, but we won’t know if that is the case until the games begin. Instead, the franchise did a wonderful job of signing players like Eric Gordon and Yuta Watanabe to fill out their roster even before dealing Ayton.

With so many new faces in the Suns locker-room, it is a player they traded away who may end up helping a genuine rival in the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks were also part of that three-team deal in which Ayton landed on the Portland Trail Blazers, and they acquired Damian Lillard in the process. A stunning move which gives the Bucks a genuine belief that it is they – and not the Suns as many had thought – who have the best duo now in the entire NBA.

Far less impressive was the move that followed to shore up their guard rotation in the wake of landing Lillard but trading away both Jrue Holiday, who was quickly re-routed to the Boston Celtics, and Grayson Allen. As reports by Shams Charania of The Athletic –

Point guard Cam Payne was a divisive figure during his spell with the Suns. If there is one thing you cannot hold against him however, it is the fact he had a couple of genuine moments for the franchise in the postseason.

As a backup who was asked whenever Paul was injured to fill in as best he could, Payne did an admirable job. Now 29-years-old, he is a known commodity in the league, and his deficiencies are what they are. But the 9.8 points and 38.4 percent he managed from 3-point range (on 3.4 attempts no less), with the Suns were the best he ever put up with a team.

Payne isn’t going to move the needle for the Bucks, and that is part of the reason the Suns traded him to the San Antonio Spurs this summer. That, and they opened up a trade exception by moving on from his current deal. But if you dig a little deeper, it is concerning the Suns just helped the Bucks get an ideal backup for Lillard at the cost of nothing at all.

Payne has played for four teams up to this point, and he’s always just stuck around by being a competent defender and a player who seems to gel really easily with his teammates. That was true with the Suns, where he defended even wing scorers from time-to-time, and knew exactly what his role was as well.

It would be fair to say Lillard is one of the best scoring guards in the history of the league. There’s a reason he was voted one of the 75 best players ever, despite never winning an MVP or making the NBA Finals. The guy gets buckets at an exceptional rate – but defending at a high level is not something he is known for.

If the Bucks are having spells where they’re struggling to contain guards in a game – against Devin Beal and Devin Booker of the Suns for example – then Payne can come in for a few minutes and do a better job of hounding these players.

The Bucks would still have the duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton out there, a combination that powered them to a championship. Add Brook Lopez, Jae Crowder and Payne to that mix, and there is a nice balance to that Bucks unit on both ends of the court.

Obviously the addition of Payne doesn’t swing the title for the Bucks. Not even close. But they have done a nice job in adding a player who can, or rather wants to do, some of the things on the defensive end that Lillard isn’t known for bringing to a team.

In an arms race to the Larry O’Brien trophy, Cam Payne has found the ideal organization to help try and win. He was never going to stick with the Suns after the summer moves they made, and on a nightly basis he is not going to be missed. How could he when they have Booker, Beal, Gordon and Jordan Goodwin?

But in its own small way, watching Payne go to a direct rival, and the team who beat the Suns to a championship in 2021, was not part of the plan here. Given the choice, Suns fans would probably taken Allen over Payne straight up. But just because the Suns had a brilliant offseason because of the moves they made, it doesn’t mean the Bucks didn’t profit as well.