Suns trade former first-round pick to Spurs

The Suns have agreed to trade factor shield Cameron Payne to the Spurs, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter hyperlink), who reports that San Antonio will even collect a 2nd-spherical pick and cash within the deal.

Confirming Charania’s report, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) says Phoenix will get hold of a future 2d-round select inside the switch. There are no information yet on whether or not that selection may be covered.

Payne, whose call had popped up in change rumors as of overdue, seemed in 48 video games for the Suns last season, averaging 10.Three points, four.Five assists, and a pair of.2 rebounds in 20.2 minutes consistent with night, with a capturing line of .415/.368/.766.

Following Phoenix’s trade of Chris Paul in advance in the offseason, Payne had his $6.5M income for 2023-24 assured and appeared like he’d get a danger to vie for the final spot within the team’s starting lineup, along Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Deandre Ayton.

Instead, the Suns are offloading the veteran guard as a way to open up a niche on the roster for Bol Bol, who has agreed to signal a one-year address the membership.

As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype notes (thru Twitter), the move from Payne to Bol will lessen Phoenix’s projected luxury tax penalty through approximately $18M and could generate a $6.5M trade exception for the group. Still, it’s a touch unusual to look the Suns essentially dumping Payne’s contract when it had most effectively been in part assured (for $2M) till June 29.

The Spurs, who will take in Payne’s $6.5M revenue into their cap room, will still have a little over $5M in space to be had as soon as the deal is bureaucratic, tweets Gozlan.

It remains to be visible whether or not San Antonio envisions Payne beginning the 2023-24 season with the team—as soon as Tre Jones and Sandro Mamukelashvili formally signal their agreed-upon deals and the Spurs gather Payne, they’ll have 18 players on preferred contracts. They’ll have to lessen that range to fifteen ahead of beginning night in October.