SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio will be acquiring veteran guard Cam Payne from the Phoenix Suns in a trade reported by multiple outlets on Sunday.
Shams Charania reported that the Spurs would also receive cash and a future second-round pick, only sending out a future second-round pick in the deal. It's the third time this offseason San Antonio has made a cheap trade to acquire a floor-spacing veteran on an expiring contract. When the Spurs announced the trade on Monday, they said they were getting Payne, a 2025 second-round pick from New Orleans, and cash for a protected second-round pick in 2024.
Payne was on four teams in his first four years in the NBA before spending the past four seasons in Phoenix. The 28-year-old averaged 10.3 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in about 20 minutes per game last season, shooting 41.5% from the floor and 36.8% from three on four attempts per game.
ESPN's Bobby Marks reported that San Antonio used a bit of clever accounting to accommodate the move. They've agreed to a two-year deal with Tre Jones, but haven't signed it yet because teams are allowed to go over the salary cap to bring back their own players. Waiting allowed the Spurs to maintain flexibility and absorb Payne into their remaining cap space. As for the Suns, getting Payne's salary off the books reportedly helped them save over $26 million dollars in luxury tax.
If Payne sticks around, he could get some minutes running point off the bench or spacing the floor next to Victor Wembanyama. Another possibility is that the Spurs could reroute Payne and his expiring contract worth $6.5 million in another trade. In any case, more moves will need to be made.
Wemby was the show-stealing headliner of the summer for San Antonio, but GM Brian Wright's front office has made a series of low-key moves to add both veteran depth and trade flexibility. Payne is the latest example.
The first was a trade where the Spurs gave up nothing at all to get Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and a future second-round pick from Cleveland in a three-team deal. They've reportedly been interested in Osman for some time, and his expiring contract is worth $6.7 million.
Then, San Antonio sent out three second-round picks in exchange for a 2030 first-round pick swap with Dallas as well as veteran guard Reggie Bullock and his expiring deal worth $10.5 million.
Payne, Osman, and Bullock could all play productive minutes for San Antonio and help address the team's obvious need for perimeter shooting. Add in Stevens, and their contracts represent about $25 million that could be used in a trade. If a team is looking to trade away a star in exchange for picks and money that will quickly come off their books and let them get a fresh start, the Spurs are a perfect trading partner.
The Spurs now have over $68 million in desirable short-term contracts to match salaries in a trade, and 12 first-round picks and 16 second-round picks to pair that with.
Those trade assets will be valuable up until the trade deadline, but San Antonio will need to reduce the number of players on the roster before the season starts. Payne makes it 18 players on the full roster for just 15 spots. Cuts are certainly possible, but the Spurs would surely prefer to flip some of the players they want least for something of value instead.
For updated information on San Antonio's offseason moves, click here.