The Chicago Bulls are predicted to have the worst record in the NBA this season, mostly due to mismanagement and players just not panning out. After 11 games, the Bulls may be ready to move on from someone the front office donned as a “franchise player”. According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Tribune, the Bulls may be moving on from point guard Cameron Payne. The team acquired Payne at the trade deadline for Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott.
To make matters worse, it was instant buyers remorse for the Bulls. A source tells Cowley that Bulls’ coaches knew that Payne was not fit to be an NBA-level player after only his second practice with the team. “We knew the second practice [after he was acquired] that he couldn’t play at [an NBA] level,’’ the source said. “The only reason it took two practices was because we thought maybe it was nerves in the first one.” Those are some strong words for a player that the Gar Forman and John Paxson front office called “the point guard of the future”. Chicago recently acquired Quincy Pondexter in a salary-dump move, and will likely cut him. Payne shockingly may be the same situation.
Cameron Payne recently broke his foot and was declared out until sometime in November. Despite saying he wants to be a part of the Bulls’ future, Chicago does not seem to feel the same way. The team acquired Kris Dunn in the Jimmy Butler trade, meaning he will likely see the bulk of minutes at point guard. It would be a disaster for the Bulls to admit defeat and end up cutting Payne, another poor move the is reflective of the organization’s questionable front office decisions.
