Why the Suns Will Regret Trading Cameron Payne

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Cameron Payne was recently traded from the Phoenix Suns to the San Antonio Spurs for a protected second-round pick. This move seemingly allows the Suns to pay less under the luxury tax, as Payne will make almost seven million dollars for the 23-24 season.

Payne was an important piece in the Suns' 2021 finals run. This playoff run helped revitalize Payne’s career and solidified his role as the backup point guard for Phoenix. With Payne gone, the Suns now have only two players remaining on their roster that were part of the 2021 finals run; Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. With Payne gone, some of that chemistry created in the backcourt is also gone. This Suns team is very different from what it was even last season, and losing Payne makes it worse.

Trading away Payne is detrimental to the team’s chemistry and leaves the team with a gaping hole at the point guard position. Payne was expected to be the starting point guard heading into the season. Now, reports claim that Bradley Beal will start at point guard. This is troublesome for Phoenix as a point guard is obviously not Beal’s primary position. Without a true playmaker on the roster, the Suns lack an important skill that most other teams have. While Jordan Goodwin will have some minutes as the backup point guard, he isn’t quite as good at his job compared to Payne. Due to the little value that trading away Payne provided, losing Payne will hurt the Suns' championship chances quite a bit, and the Suns will look back and regret this move.