Shay, you heard anything about this guy? There might be some mutual interest and it appears to me that the staff would like to add another center for depth. Payne is 6'9" 250 pounds, strong, mobile and seems to be a solid athlete and was a 4 star on 247 coming out of High School.
It would be difficult to bring in a big name like Big Cliff from Rutgers who only has 1 year left. Payne has two years left so if he's OK with a reserve role this season then I could see him and Bidunga splitting time at the 5 after HD leaves the following season. I think he'd bring very quality depth and better defense in the paint. This could allow HD to play 25-28 minutes per game, thus helping him perform at a higher level late into the season. He really wore down in February and March from playing 35 minutes every night.
It would be difficult to bring in a big name like Big Cliff from Rutgers who only has 1 year left. Payne has two years left so if he's OK with a reserve role this season then I could see him and Bidunga splitting time at the 5 after HD leaves the following season. I think he'd bring very quality depth and better defense in the paint. This could allow HD to play 25-28 minutes per game, thus helping him perform at a higher level late into the season. He really wore down in February and March from playing 35 minutes every night.