3 Free agents the Portland Trail Blazers should avoid at all costs 

2. Cameron Payne

Cameron Payne would provide floor spacing, as he connected on roughly 39 percent of threes this season. The Blazers desperately need shooters, but they shouldn't pursue them at the expense of defense. Between Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson, Portland already has too many undersized guards who are defensive liabilities; they don't need to add another in Payne, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 183 pounds.

Portland's starting lineup primarily consists of players who require the ball to be effective, such as Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton, and Shaedon Sharpe. Because of this, the Blazers are better off targeting two-way players who can contribute to winning without needing the ball, particularly on the defensive end.

To make matters worse, Payne isn't a reliable enough playmaker to be a backup point guard but is too undersized playing off-ball. If this year's NBA playoffs were any indication, superstars like Luka Doncic will constantly hunt for mismatches. Payne's size and defense could get him played off the court, which the Blazers need to factor in when considering him as a free agent.

Additionally, the Blazers have a logjam at their guard positions. If Portland goes through the trouble of adding another one into the mix and further complicating their messy backcourt, it needs to be a two-way guard. They would be better off targeting someone who can shoot and provide lockdown on-ball defense to give the Blazers more lineup versatility. Payne is a great shooter, but he doesn't check off enough boxes for Portland to justify the signing.