NBA Trade Grades: Elfrid Payton traded to Phoenix Suns
By Brad Wier
Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton has just been traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Memphis’ second-round pick.
The Phoneix Suns have been a mess this season. They currently sport an 18-38 record which puts them as the fifth-worst team in the league. Luckily, they have two young star talents in Devin “70-points” Booker and Josh Jackson. However, the team has had a glaring weakness all season at the point guard position. With 10 minutes to go at the trade deadline, they attempted to fix that problem.
ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton has just been traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a second-round pick. The second round pick comes via Memphis to Orlando.
Now that the trade deadline is over, let’s break down this trade for.
Orlando Magic
There really isn’t much to this trade for Orlando. They traded away a 23-year old penetrating point guard for a high secon- round pick. With Payton gone, D.J. Augustin will take the reins as starting point guard. Augustin is a nine-year pro who at this point, has peaked from a statistical standpoint.
The Magic obviously don’t view Payton as part of their future and sold low on him by receiving a single second-round pick. It’s understandable that their front office didn’t envision him as part of their future, but this seems like a lackluster return for a 23-year old guard who’s prime is still yet to come.
Grade: D
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a bad team. They have several interesting pieces, but overall their team is too young to pose any real threat in the league. The point guard play is something that the Suns should aim to improve, and trading for Elfrid Payton is a sign in the right direction.
Elfrid Payton is posting a career-high 13 points per game and hitting 37.3 percent from 3-point land this season. It makes perfect sense to roll the dice on the 23-year old point guard out of the University of Louisiana.
Payton may not be a big name point guard, but only giving up a second-round pick to acquire him is surely something many teams regret not doing. He could’ve been an excellent backup on many teams.
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This is an ideal scenario for Payton as he gets to start alongside star-to-be Devin Booker and potentially become the Suns point guard of the future.