3 offseason moves Phoenix Suns must make to redeem NBA Finals defeat
By Josh Hill
2. Re-sign Cam Payne
If there was one Suns player who perfectly embodied the team’s rise from the ashes, it’s Cam Payne.
He went from a guy an anonymous source told a Bulls writer that “we knew the second practice [after he was acquired] that he couldn’t play at [an NBA] level,” to a key piece of the Suns rotation. The reinvention of Payne goes beyond just spiritually embodying the arrival of Phoenix as a powerhouse Western Conference contender, his game has been completely revamped in ways that were crucial to the Suns success.
If there’s a conversation to be had about whether Payne needs to be brought back, look no further than the two Conference Finals games the Suns were without Chris Paul. Without Payne’s 29 points, zero turnovers, and clutch buckets Phoenix might not have been in the position it was to set up the ‘Valley-Oop’ to send the series back to L.A. up 2-0.
Payne’s importance in the rotation goes beyond those two playoff games without Paul. During the regular season the Suns net rating was 7.45 in 995 minutes of Payne on the floor without Paul. With both of them on the court together the net rating skyrocketed to 16.02.
Without Payne or Paul on the floor the net rating plummpeted to -6.32.
There are key pieces to the Suns lineup that helped them get to the NBA Finals, and Payne is one of them. If the goal is to get back in 2022, bringing him back is a must.