As the Philadelphia 76ers continue to explore options to improve their guard depth, a former NBA journeyman is reportedly returning to the City of Brotherly Love.
According to Serbian outlet Meridian Sport and confirmed by Marc Stein, 31-year-old point guard Cameron Payne and Serbian club KK Partizan are working on terms of a buyout that will allow him to return not only to the NBA, but specifically to the Sixers on a rest-of-season deal.
Payne came to the Sixers ahead of the 2024 NBA Trade deadline in a deal that sent Patrick Beverly to the Milwaukee Bucks. He would go on to play 31 games for Philadelphia, starting in eight of them while averaging 9.3 points and 3.1 assists while shooting 38.2 percent from three on 4.4 attempts per game. A real offensive spark, Payne quickly became a fan-favorite and helped the Sixers battle the New York Knicks in Philadelphia’s first-round playoff loss.
Payne’s most recent NBA experience came with the New York Knicks, with whom he signed for the 2024-25 season, playing in 72 games while averaging 6.9 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per night, with a .401/.363/.907 shooting line.
Payne later signed a preseason deal with the Pacers, who were seeking additional stopgaps at point guard after All-Star Tyrese Haliburton was ruled out for the season with a torn Achilles. He would be waived ahead of the start of the season and continued to pursue other NBA opportunities before signing a rest-of-season contract with KK Partizan in late December.
In 10 games in the EuroLeague, Payne averaged 12.4 points, 3.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals, and 10.8 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals over five appearances in the ABA League, per game.
Philadelphia now brings back a familiar face to shore up its previously shallow guard depth.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats included in this article are via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass, Basketball Reference or Team Rankings. All salary information via Spotrac.
