Russell Westbrook may have a new understudy.
While the Oklahoma City Thunder's tortured season ended without a playoff berth, it did afford them something few teams so far along the development curve get: a lottery pick.
The Thunder may be facing an offseason of change with a new head coach in Billy Donovan, but they have 13 players under guaranteed contract and don't have a great deal of flexibility to improve the roster. The No. 14 pick could be the team's best opportunity for improvement, and they could justify making additions at guard or on the wing.
They may have narrowed in on guard help, according to a report from ESPN draft guru Chad Ford, who said the Thunder may have gone so far as to promise Murray State point guard Cameron Payne they'd draft him if he's available:
As for the Thunder, since late last week there's been a lot of buzz among rival GMs that the Thunder promised Cameron Payne they'd take him at 14. I don't know how much of that is smoke, but he is a great fit at 14 and talent wise he may be the best pure point guard in the draft.
Payne isn't exactly a household name, so the "if" may seem unnecessary. It is. Payne has been moving up draft boards as teams sell themselves on his scoring ability and recognize that his length may make up for a perceived size disadvantage at the defensive end.
The Indiana Pacers have the No. 11 pick and could be Oklahoma City's biggest threat to take Payne. Pacers president Larry Bird has been effusive in his praise of Payne's game, and Ford has a feeling he's not bluffing:
And I think there's a strong possibility that Cameron Payne could get the nod there. They really like him. I wrote this in Chicago and nothing's changed. If (Willie) Cauley-Stein is gone and especially if Myles Turner is gone, I think Payne might be there guy.
The eleventh pick is probably the high end of Payne's suddenly narrow range. Ford ranks him the No. 11 prospect and has him going to the Thunder in his latest mock draft, while DraftExpress ranks him No. 21 but likewise has him going to the Thunder at No. 14. theScore's early mock has the Pacers jumping on Payne, saying the following:
Payne is said to have a fan in Larry Bird, and while this is probably too early for the somewhat undersized scoring guard, I'm not sure there's a better combination of fit and upside for Indiana here.
Should Payne go off the board before the Thunder pick, a sharpshooting wing seems the most likely approach, Devin Booker chief among them.
