Elfrid Payton was seemingly as shocked as everyone else for the small return the Orlando Magic got for him. But he is ready to move on to his new chance.
It feels like every trade these days needs an immediate winner and an immediate loser. The trade deadline is a day for massive changes all in one fell swoop and immediate outlooks on the season.
If everyone wants to look at the Orlando Magic’s trade of Elfrid Payton in that short-term prism, then a return of just a second-round pick (likely in the early 40s) is not a good one for Payton. Payton was the team’s starting point guard for the better part of four years and was putting up career numbers.
Statistically, Payton was advancing his game in many ways. He was averaging 13.0 points per game and 6.3 assists per game on 54.7 percent effective field goal percentage. He was shooting better than 50 percent from the floor overall and 37.3 percent from beyond the arc.
That represented a huge step in his offensive game. He was smart with the jumpers he took, using the space to drive into the lane and collapse the defense. He was fantastic in transition too as the Magic emphasized that game.
Surely Payton was worth more on the market?
That is what Payton believed too, telling Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype he was a little surprised the Magic got so little in return for him:
"“I’ve seen a lot of people say that it was a steal for Phoenix and stuff like that,” Payton said. “I guess time will tell. I heard they were offered a lot more than a second-round pick [from other teams], but they just didn’t decide to do one of those other trades… I don’t know all of the details, but I know they had offers from a team in the East and a different West Coast team other than Phoenix.”"
Whether the Magic had another deal on the table is another question.
There was a report from the New York Post the New York Knicks were chasing after Payton hard. They apparently offered a second round pick, but it was not as favorable as the one the team eventually got from the Phoenix Suns. Reportedly that deal grew to include Joakim Noah and Bismack Biyombo. But the Magic wanted Frank Ntilikina and the Knicks backed down.
According to Payton, the Magic had told his agent he was likely staying with the team before the deal with the Suns developed at the last moments before the trade deadline.
It truly seems Orlando was simply willing to part with Payton and get something of value rather than lose him for nothing in free agency. This was not a deal where they were looking to get equal value. This was a deal where they were taking whatever the market could give him.
Market value and actual value are different things.
Payton has played really well since joining the Suns. Twitter was abuzz with his 29-point, five-assist performance against the Golden State Warriors on Monday. He made his first nine shots in the game. He recorded a triple-double in the Phoenix Suns’ loss to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
Cory Hutson of Orlando Pinstriped Post attended Payton’s first game in Phoenix and wrote the Suns could certainly tell the difference with him in there. He was definitely someone who could make an impact for that team.
Payton has undoubted weaknesses though. It goes beyond his poor shooting — often the focus of criticism. It is true Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said after the trade having a point guard who could shoot comfortably off the dribble is becoming more important in the modern NBA. Payton does not fit that bill.
But Payton’s biggest problems remain on the defensive end, where he has often struggled to navigate screens and keep his man in front of him. The team did not ever seem to take the next step and despite his status as the team’s starter, there were plenty of times the team thought about benching him.
I went over what went wrong with Payton’s time in Orlando and how he might fit in with Phoenix on Wednesday’s episode of Locked On Suns.
Magic fans will probably never know the whole story of how the trade went down. Payton likely will not either. And it is always tough to part ways with a player.
After the Magic’s win last Thursday following the trade, players expressed a bit of sadness he was no longer on the team. Evan Fournier said it was tough to see a player like him go that had grown up on the team as he had. He was friends with everyone.
Payton said several, if not all, his now-former Magic teammates texted him after news of the trade came down. They were still behind him and wishing him the best.
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By all accounts, Payton is fitting in with the Suns early on in his tenure there. Things will develop for both Payton and the Magic from there.