Suns make decision on former first-round pick

The Suns are fully guaranteeing the final season of point guard Cameron Payne‘s contract for 2023-24, sources tell Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Payne’s deal had been partially guaranteed for $2M, and now it will become fully guaranteed for $6.5M.

With injury-prone former starter Chris Paul having been offloaded as part of the deal that brought veteran guard Bradley Beal to Phoenix, the club may have an opening at starting point guard. Beal and All-Star guard Devin Booker both could theoretically handle the team’s primary playmaking duties at the position, but Payne could also be utilized as the official starter while Beal and Booker are used at shooting guard and small forward.

During Beal’s introductory Suns presser Thursday, head coach Frank Vogel said that Payne would be “in the mix” for a starting role, depending on how the rest of the team’s offseason roster building played out, per Rankin.

The 6-foot-1 vet inked his current three-year, $19M deal with the Suns in 2021, after reviving his career as a productive 2020-21 as Paul’s backup on an NBA Finals-bound club.

Last season, the 28-year-old averaged 10.3 PPG, 4.5 APG, 2.2 RPG and 0.7 SPG in his 48 healthy games with Phoenix last year. He posted that scoring number on a slash line of .415/.368/.766. Injuries to his foot and lower back limited his availability for the club, both during the regular season and playoffs.