Should the Bulls reunite with Cam Payne? |
The Chicago Bulls could be the most frustrating NBA organization for various reasons. On the one hand, you had arguably the greatest dynasty in NBA history when the Bulls had not one but two or three-peats in eight years as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman were the talks of the town. Once their playing days were over, the Bulls went into futility as they struggled to put contending teams on the court for nearly a decade.
Then came the No. 1 overall pick, Derrick Rose, who instantly changed the fate of this franchise, helping them reach territories they hadn't seen since the Jordan days. However, in the years since the Rose days, the Bulls have frustrated fans as they continue to come up short while making interesting roster decisions. One of the things the Bulls have been known to do is give up on players too soon, which has started to haunt this franchise. You saw it with Spencer Dinwiddie and Max Strus, who the Bulls had in the G-League organization, only to let them get away for nothing. Now look at the players they have become. Going further than that, you had Jimmy Butler and Bobby Portis, who never seemed to get going in Chicago. Then, for whatever reason, they leave the Bulls and become some of the better players in this league. Lauri Markkanen is another name that the Bulls gave up on too quickly, as the list goes on and on. Chicago has a chance to have one do-over, which could come cheaply to help a position of need. With Lonzo Ball again lost for another season, the Bulls have no direction as to who their point guard will be, although Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, and Coby White are the in-house options right now. Should the Bulls look outside the organization, former Bull Cam Payne is now available after the San Antonio Spurs chose to waive him ahead of camp. Given the surplus of guards on the Bulls roster and a front office not likely to surpass the Luxury Tax, Chicago signing Payne seems unlikely, but it is something to consider when you look at the needs on this team. Payne was with the Bulls early in his career and was lucky to see the court. When he did, he struggled mightily and averaged around 4.7 PPG in Chicago. Knowing that the Bulls were in rebuild mode, Chicago moved on from Payne, which seemed like a good idea then. Here we are five years later, and some wonder if the Bulls moved on from Payne too soon, which would follow an ugly trend. After being waived by the Bulls, Payne signed with the Suns and completely changed his career in the process. He averaged over 10.0 points per game in each of the past two seasons to go along with nearly 5.0 assists a night. Going a bit further, Payne has also been called on to start 21 games the past two seasons and certainly didn't disappoint as he averaged 14.9 points and 7.9 assists in those starts. Those numbers are better than any of the other PGs on the Bulls roster have put up, leading to the intrigue of bringing him back. One thing that Payne struggles with is his inability to finish around the rim consistently. However, he makes up for that behind the arc, where he shoots 37.7 % from deep. Payne would be the perfect fit, considering the need for three-point shooting on this team. Some might wonder why the Suns would trade him after he became such a massive part of their team. With Bradley Beal now in the mix, Phoenix had to undergo some significant roster changes, and Payne was one of the casualties on the short end of the stick. He landed with the Spurs, who ultimately waived him for reasons they only know. As mentioned above, given the current status of this team, adding Payne doesn't seem like an option, but it makes more sense than some realize. Unlike Jevon Carter, Payne is the more proven distributor who’s grown used to setting up some high-level scorers. With Lavine, White, and Demar DeRozan begging for shots, having a distributor like Payne could be handy. He also checks the box of being a decent 3-point shooter and can provide some solid length with his impressive six-foot-seven wingspan. The Bulls need both, and they love players with length on defense.
