Shams Charania is reporting that point guard Cameron Payne is signing with the New York Knicks on a one-year deal. In what will be his 10th NBA season, the Knicks will be Payne’s seventh team.
Knicks Add Cameron Payne In Free Agency
Rebuilt His Image in Last Few Seasons
The 29-year-old Payne started off his career being seen as a draft bust by some. He was selected in the late lottery (14th overall) by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2015 NBA Draft. The Thunder traded him in the middle of his second season to the Chicago Bulls. He had averaged just 5.1 points and 1.9 assists while shooting just 38.5% from the field and 31.9% from three-point territory with Oklahoma City prior to the deal.
After a mostly nondescript start to his career, the six-foot-three Payne became one of the better reserve scoring point guards after joining the Phoenix Suns. He joined Phoenix for nine games at the end of the 2019-20 season and played with them through 2022-23. In his 174 games with the Suns, Payne posted averages of 9.8 points and 4.2 assists. He finished with double-digit scoring averages in 2021-22 and 2022-23. During that time, Payne had nearly a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and connected on 38.4% of his three-point tries.
Payne signed with the Milwaukee Bucks prior to the 2023-24 season and was later traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Last season with the two teams, Payne made 78 appearances playing 16.7 minutes per outing. His per-game averages on the season were 7.4 points and 2.6 assists. He finished with shooting splits of .432/.390/.866. Coincidentally, Payne’s Philadelphia team met against his new team, the Knicks, in the opening round of the playoffs in 2024. While the Knicks advanced, they may have been impressed by his outside shooting (8-18 on threes for the series).
What Does The Knicks Point Guard Rotation Look Like After Cameron Payne Signing?
Of course, the Knicks starting point guard is fan favorite Jalen Brunson. The 27-year-old is coming off a career-best 2023-24 season where he finished fifth in MVP voting and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. He recently signed a four-year extension with the team for $156.5 million. Brunson sacrificed a boatload of money to help out the team by not waiting until next offseason when he could have been offered much more.
After the Knicks traded Immanuel Quickley last season, they began using Miles McBride as the backup to Brunson. The 23-year-old posted what can be seen as a breakout year in his third NBA season. McBride averaged just 3.0 points while shooting 28.2% from the field in his first two seasons. In 2023-24, his scoring average rose to 8.3 points on 45.2% field goal shooting.
The Knicks also now have rostered Tyler Kolek, the 34th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The 23-year-old led the nation averaging 7.7 assists per game as a senior in 2023-24 with Marquette. New York signed him to a four-year deal worth $6.6 million. That is the most guaranteed money ever handed out to a second-round pick.
McBride can also slide to shooting guard which could pave the way for Payne or Kolek to see action. After the amount of injuries that the Knicks experienced in the playoffs, it was clear that they needed more talent at the end of the bench that head coach Tom Thibodeau won’t be afraid to play in important games.
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