Signings such as Cameron Payne make sense for Cavs this season

We all know that the Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t going to be winning much the rest of the way, so giving young players such as the recently-signed Cameron Payne a chance makes sense.

The Cleveland Cavaliers know they aren’t going to be getting many more W’s. The rest of the season is about progression of young pieces such as Collin Sexton, Ante Zizic and Cedi Osman, and not about making a postseason push. That’s why the Cavs’ reported signing of Cameron Payne to a ten-day contract (per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic), makes sense.

The Cavaliers recently added (via a reported two-year, $6 million offer sheet) young guard Patrick McCaw and then waived him shortly after to not have his contract on the books guaranteed for the rest of the season (again, per Charania).

That would have been the case if he was on the roster still after the deadline on Monday.

So now, they’ll give Payne a shot to see what he can do as a reserve point guard, and this sort of signing will likely be a common theme for the rest of the season, according to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops (h/t Cavaliers Nation’s Brad Sullivan).

"“This is a season for auditions and Payne is just the latest. The Cavs plan to continue bringing in younger players on a trial basis for the rest of the season.”"

Payne is a player that can help lessen the playmaking burden on Sexton with second unit point man Matthew Dellavedova dealing with a reported foot injury.

Amico noted that as well.

"“First, Dellavedova is indeed questionable for Tuesday’s home game vs. the Indiana Pacers. He has already missed the previous two. So Payne fills a need.Also, point guard Collin Sexton has been playing major minutes lately. It’s rare anymore for him to not play at least 30. That’s asking a lot of a rookie who just turned 20-years old on Friday.”"

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Does Payne have the makings of a franchise cornerstone player for the Cavs’ second unit?

I would probably say no, but he’s only 24, and considering Cleveland isn’t going to be winning much, why not take a flyer on him and give the struggling Sexton (as our own Eli Mooneyham detailed) a bit more of a breather in the next few games.

In 144 career appearances combined with the Oklahoma City Thunder (maybe you saw him dancing with Russell Westbrook at some point) and the Chicago Bulls, Payne has averaged 5.8 points, 2.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game, per Basketball Reference.

Payne is a player that can run the offense some, and get the ball moving, like Dellavedova. Payne has averaged a solid 5.7 assists per 36 minutes for his career on an assist rate of 23.7 percent (per Basketball Reference).

He’s also been able to at least knock down a good amount of three-point shots from the corner at 37.0 percent, which could play well off Jordan Clarkson‘s drives and Larry Nance Jr.‘s passing from the interior.

With general manager Koby Altman and the Cleveland Cavaliers looking to go younger in the coming years, giving a player such as Payne a chance is a no-brainer, especially with the number of injuries Cleveland has dealt with in what has been a very, very long season.

The Cavs have no reason to rush Dellavedova back, and if Payne doesn’t work out, then they can move on and give another young player an opportunity.