Phoenix Suns Swap Cameron Payne For Bol Bol

by Andrew KimJuly 18, 2023, 4:46 pmDaily Digest, News >

The Phoenix Suns were finally able to sign former Orlando Magic center Bol Bol but had to make a few moves prior to having the roster spot open and cap space to do so.

According to NBA Insider Shams Charania from The Athletic, the Suns signed Bol to a one-year fully guaranteed minimum salary deal, received three second-round picks from the Magic to swap picks, and traded away point guard Cameron Payne (plus a second and cash) to the San Antonio Spurs for a future second-round pick.

With the 2026 first-round swap between the Suns and Magic, Phoenix already swapped their 2026 pick with Washington, so Orlando will get the right to swap their own 2026 pick with whoever has the worst pick out of the Suns or Wizards. The Suns would automatically get the worst of the three 2026 picks.

This then led to Phoenix trading away Payne to the Spurs for a cap dump basically, as the Suns also sent a second-round pick and cash to San Antonio. With the roster spot now open, Phoenix signed Bol, as they were heavily rumored to do so when he was cut from the Magic a few weeks ago.

The Suns save more than $26 million in luxury taxes for this season, but now, Phoenix doesn’t have a true point guard on the team or at least proven depth at the position. As of now, both 24-year-olds Saben Lee and Jordan Goodwin are expected to be the backups at point guard, with less than 3,000 NBA minutes combined in their careers so far.

The Suns signed veterans Damion Lee, 30, and Eric Gordon, 34, in free agency, but they will likely compete for minutes also and be backups at shooting guard. Plus the addition of Bradley Beal at point guard, via trade from Washington, makes the position not as dire. But the veteran 30-year-old Beal has been more of a shooting guard most of his career, so having him plus superstar Devin Booker as the starting shooting guard will be interesting to see it work on the court.

While having Bol helps as a reserve behind Deandre Ayton at the center spot and Kevin Durant as their star power forward, the 7’2″ 23-year-old will have to compete for minutes off the bench. In free agency, Phoenix did address their depth at both positions (center and power forward) by bringing in Drew Eubanks, Yuta Watanabe and Keita Bates-Diop.

But the Suns are playing it risky, as their big four have been out with injuries previously, so the depth they signed will be tested heavily if it comes to that.

Future trade implications come from the Payne trade, as his contract was taxing (literally), but it was wise to use it potentially in a trade closer to the new season’s trade deadline. The 28-year-old would’ve been on an expiring contract worth $6.5 million and that would’ve been more valuable at the deadline instead of now, since the Suns don’t have many other contracts to trade away to free up cap space. Phoenix will likely get a trade exception worth Payne’s contract in the deal, but the other contracts on the roster couldn’t be aggregated as an exception.

Unless Ayton is traded, the Suns are likely not making moves in February, as their only other big cap figure, not including the big four, is starting small forward Josh Okogie, who they re-signed to a $2.8 million Non-Bird or Non-Qualifying Veteran Free Agent deal.

Maybe trades aren’t going to be necessary by the time the NBA deadline comes around in February for Phoenix. Debatably, they have a top-four core starting in the NBA and all have high upside, as a team looking to compete just off their starters alone. Regardless of their fringe free-agent moves to address their depth and backups, the Suns are looking to make a run further in the playoffs as a team that went 45-37 last year as the fourth-best team in the Western Conference.

Having Bol, whether he hits his potential or not, is just a bonus for this team if he can make the most of his minutes off the bench (coming off a healthier season) while competing with the other veteran free agents. But what separates him from the other guys they added is his breakout potential with his age and his length, paired with his handles and athleticism that is rare for a big man with his capabilities of shooting.

Bol is the type of low-risk, high-reward free-agent signing that could pay off in the end if he can showcase the play he built off of last season with the Magic and continue to grow as he is entering his fifth season.