NBA Draft Rumors: Utah Jazz interested in drafting Adreian Payne

By Josh Hill | Jun 7, 2014

Mar 30, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Adreian Payne (5) reacts after a three pointer against the Connecticut Huskies during the second half in the finals of the east regional of the 2014 NCAA Mens Basketball Championship tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The NBA Draft is just around the corner and teams are trying to hammer out the best strategies they can to make sure they land players that will not only help them out right now but help them for a long time to come.

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One player that a lot of teams have eyes on is Michigan State forward Adreian Payne, who is rising on draft boards as the big day approaches later this month. His solid run in the NCAA Tournament put a lot of eyes on his skills and since then he’s been able to prove that he can consistently show off and show up on the court.

According to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune, the Utah Jazz love Payne and are high on him as the draft approaches.

The Jazz are quite interested in Payne, a 6-foot-10 power forward out of Michigan State. True stretch power forward, fits the system
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 7, 2014

Payne could be a great fit for the Jazz who need help at power forward and could use an NBA-ready prospect like Payne. He’s a bit older, which is why some teams are turned off to him but the fact of the matter is he’s wise in the ways of the frontcourt Force and can help Utah out in big ways.

The Jazz could go power forward in the lottery and draft either Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon or Noah Vonleh, but even if they do we may still see Payne come up as an option in the later part of the first round when the Jazz come back around to pick again.