The Phoenix Suns welcomed back Cameron Payne for the first time since trading him in July in the first quarter of tonight’s matchup against the Bucks.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Suns showed Payne on the big screen, and he did a little dance, leading to some loud applause from the crowd.
Phoenix #Suns welcome back Cam Payne to large round of applause pic.twitter.com/XhfBGWAdCo
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) February 7, 2024
The Suns traded Payne to the Spurs back in July, saving a projected $26.4 million in luxury tax. He signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 1 to back up Damian Lillard after being waived by San Antonio. Payne is averaging 6.1 points and 2.3 assists in 14.8 minutes per game across 46 contests this season.
“I’m a big Cam Payne fan,” Suns’ coach Frank Vogel said pregame. “I think he’s a heck of a player. (The trade) was obviously a (salary) cap move. Sometimes you have to make moves like that, that are better for your books in the big picture.
“I really enjoyed the dinners that I had with Cam Payne in the summer, and just talking about the vision of how I wanted to use him and what his game is. As the Lakers coach, we had to play against him every year, and he was a nightmare for us. His speed, his ability to shoot the basketball, his playmaking, he’s a heck of a player, and the Bucks are lucky to have him.”
Payne was best known for his smile and infectious energy that he brought to the Valley. The Suns took a chance on him in the bubble in 2020, signing him after he had been playing overseas. He eventually helped them go undefeated in Orlando. It turned into three more very productive seasons in Phoenix.
“Great story of perseverance and not giving up on your dream,” Vogel said of Payne. “Obviously, reaching a point where you’re in the league, but then falling out of favor, which happens and a lot of times that means the end of a guy’s career. He kept working, kept improving and used overseas to continue to refine his game and get a second opportunity. And when he got that opportunity, he absolutely killed it. You feel good about stories like that.”
Perhaps Payne’s best performance with Phoenix came in the Suns’ last game against the Nuggets last season. He had a team-leading 31 points while shooting 7-of-8 from deep in a very disappointing 125-100 elimination loss for the Suns.
He also filled in crucial moments for Chris Paul several times, most notably in the first two games of the 2021 Western Conference Finals. Payne had 29 points and nine assists in Game 2 of this series and helped the Suns win both of these matchups. The Suns made it to their first Finals since 1993 after winning this series.
Payne posted an emotional thank you to to the Suns on social media a couple months after being traded.
In total, Payne played 174 regular season games and 42 playoff games for the Suns. He averaged 9.8 points and 4.2 assists in just over 20 minutes per game in the regular season.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
