Chicago Bulls NBA Trade and Roster Rumors: Cameron Payne Faces Uncertain Future With the Bulls
It's safe to say that Cameron Payne career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) hasn't exactly panned out like many thought it would.
The Former Murray State standout showed a lot of promise when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the 14th pick in the 2015 draft. They thought he would transform into a reliable playmaker and defensive stopper at the point guard position, but he never got the chance to play heavy minutes with the team.
Payne had to deal with right foot issues as well during his second season with the Thunder and he was eventually shipped to the Chicago Bulls before the trade deadline last February.
He had a chance to revive his career upon his arrival in Chicago, but a source recently told the Chicago Sun-Times that the Bulls knew right away he wasn't going to make much of an impact in the league.
"We knew the second practice [after he was acquired] that he couldn't play at [an NBA] level. The only reason it took two practices was because we thought maybe it was nerves in the first one," the source said. "Any [Bulls] coach who says differently is lying ... We got 'Garred' on that one," he added.
It is interesting to note that the source actually used Bulls general manager Gar Forman's name as a slang for making a bad trade. Forman shipped defensive-minded big man Taj Gibson, small forward Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick to the Thunder at the trade deadline for Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow.
Morrow and Lauvergne have already left the team, and now Payne's days as a member of the Bulls may be coming to an end as well.
Payne is scheduled to undergo surgery on his right foot this week and he's expected to be out until November. The Bulls may release him before the season begins in October.
