Damian Lillard appears to have a new backup.
Sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic that the Bucks are inking free agent point guard Cameron Payne to a new one-year contract.
The 6-foot-1 vet out of Murray State is joining a revamped Milwaukee squad after salvaging his career with a four-year stint on the Suns.
The No. 14 pick in the 2015 lottery, Payne struggled to develop through runs with the Thunder, Bulls and Cavaliers. He really found his footing after signing on with Phoenix in 2019. Across his four seasons with the Suns as Chris Paul’s backup, Payne posted regular season averages of 9.8 PPG on .434/.384/.833 shooting splits. He also chipped in 4.2 APG, 2.6 RPG and 0.7 SPG.
In July, the Suns flipped Payne, a 2025 second-rounder and cash to the Spurs for a 2024 protected second-round draft pick. He was waived by San Antonio earlier this month, becoming an unrestricted free agent. Payne had been owed a guaranteed $6.5M.
Payne now looks likely to become the primary reserve behind newly-acquired Milwaukee All-Star point guard Lillard, on a starry East contender that seems poised to once again contend for a top seed in the conference.
Though terms of the deal have yet to be divulged, the capped-out Bucks cannot offer Payne anything above a veteran’s minimum.
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