Knicks Officially Announce Signing Of Cam Payne

Payne, 29, is 6-foot-3 and appeared in a combined 78 games last season with the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks are his seventh team.

In those 78 games last season, Payne averaged 7.4 points, 2.6 assists and 1.5 rebounds, shooting 43.2% from the field and 39.0% on 3-pointers.

New York has a pretty good point man already in starter Jalen Brunson and selected Tyler Kolek out of Marquette with its second-round draft pick. But Payne plays both guard spots, and is the ideal veteran off the bench for a winning team.

Payne’s deal is for one year, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report/TNT. He was traded at the deadline in February (along with the 2027 second-rounder) from the Bucks to the Sixers in exchange for Patrick Beverley.

With Philadelphia, Payne appeared in 31 regular-season contests and averaged 9.3 points and 3.1 assists in 19.4 minutes. But he didn’t receive as much time in the Sixers’ five playoff games.

Per Ian Begley of SNY.tv, the Knicks also considered Tyus Jones, another free-agent point guard, who spent this past season with the Washington Wizards. 

In 48 games with the Phoenix Suns in 2022-23, Payne averaged 10.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists, shooting 42 percent from the field and 37 percent on 3-pointers. He was then acquired by the San Antonio Spurs in a trade with the Suns, before being waived shortly thereafter.

After the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Payne as the No. 14 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, he went on to play for the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Suns, before his stints last season with the Bucks and Sixers.