Cameron Payne will be on the open market soon; should the Utah Jazz pick him up?

Cameron Payne is a talented point guard with playoff experience. Would he be the final roster piece for the Utah Jazz in 2023-24?

Cameron Payne, who has played well in a reserve role and started at times for the Phoenix Suns the last few seasons, will soon be released by the San Antonio Spurs and will hit the open market once he clears waivers, according to published reports.

Fresh off a 31-point performance in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals against the eventual NBA Champion Denver Nuggets, Cameron Payne would greatly improve the point guard position for the Utah Jazz, whether he starts or comes off the bench.

A timeshare of Payne and Kris Dunn at the point would allow the Jazz to bring Keyonte George along at a reasonable pace in Year 1.

Cameron Payne has shown good defensive prowess at times with Phoenix and is a more natural fit at point guard than Jordan Clarkson or Collin Sexton, who are both combo guards that are best utilized for their scoring.

The Jazz will need to act quickly if they desire to add Cameron Payne for the upcoming season. Once waived by the Spurs, a 48-hour window for any NBA team to claim his salary will commence. Per the reports, multiple playoff contenders will show interest in Payne once he clears waivers.

This is where the Utah Jazz have multiple advantages. With a lower win percentage last season than any playoff team, they have a higher waiver priority and can claim Cameron Payne during the next 48 hours for his $6.5 million salary. And the Jazz can offer the promise of a team with legitimate playoff aspirations. Most of the teams with higher waiver priority than the Utah Jazz are still projected to be out of playoff contention in 2023-24.

The only downfall from making this type of transaction for the Jazz would be dropping someone on a guaranteed contract to make room for Payne on the roster, losing a young player like Simone Fontecchio or Luka Šamanić in the process. However, it would be a small price to pay for a player with Cameron Payne’s experience and talent.

If the Utah Jazz have designs on reaching the playoffs and keeping a player out of the hands of the other playoff contenders in the Western Conference, then Danny Ainge needs to act now and get Cameron Payne before someone else does.