Even though he became a free agent when the Knicks turned down his $8 million option, Elfrid Payton was confident he would be returning to New York, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Speaking to reporters Wednesday via a Zoom call, Payton indicated that he never seriously considered any other team.
“From the beginning we always had intentions of me coming back, so I wasn’t really I guess worried,’’ he said.
Payton was part of a maligned trio of point guards, along with Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr., who shared time at the position last season. After listening to offseason speculation that the Knicks would find a replacement through the draft or free agency, Payton believes all three players will approach the season with something to prove.
“I feel like we’ve been counted out,’’ he said. “So just go out there and compete and show what we can do. That’s definitely something we want to use as motivation, as if we didn’t already have enough. But that’s definitely something we’ve spoken about in the locker room, even in these short days that we’ve been together.”
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