When the San Antonio Spurs landed veteran guard Cameron Payne in a recent trade with the Phoenix Suns, the team wasn’t just bringing in a reliable ball-handler. In fact, the move accomplished two key goals, and serves as a good peek at the priorities for this Spurs front office. Payne helps stabilize the guard rotation, but also represents yet another valuable asset for the future.
San Antonio’s most important move this summer was, of course, the drafting of French phenom Victor Wembanyama. And indeed the 19-year-old will be the focal point of the team for years to come, meaning there’s no major pressure to make a splash in the next year or two. That said, the Spurs also extended 74-year-old head coach Gregg Popovich this offseason and many of the teams moves have been centered around maximizing future flexibility. Could San Antonio be angling to make a splash sooner rather than later?
KENS 5 analysts Tom Petrini and Casey Viera recently spoke about the Payne trade and what it means for the club. As Petrini noted, San Antonio has almost $70 million in expiring contracts on the books to pair with a number of extra future draft picks. The Spurs are sitting pretty should any opportunities arise.
Check out the full conversation, courtesy of KENS 5 on YouTube.