Report: Sixers bringing back Cam Payne on rest-of-season contract

The Sixers are bringing back Cam Payne, signing the 31-year-old guard to a contract for the remainder of the season. Payne will leave his current team in Serbia to return to the NBA, according to reports by Mozzart Sport and Marc Stein.

A veteran of 10 NBA seasons and 477 games (71 starts), Payne joined the Sixers at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline when the team sent Patrick Beverley to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Payne and a second-round pick.

That deal worked out quite well, as the buyout signing of Kyle Lowry would have cratered Beverley’s value had he still been on the team. Meanwhile, Payne’s shot creation ability added a new dimension to the team’s bench, which helped them get through the remainder of the regular season.

Payne was a very good situational piece in 31 games with the Sixers to finish out the 2023-24 season, providing infectious energy that was adored by fans, teammates and coaches alike.

He had a few standout moments in the postseason, too, but ended up departing after the Sixers fell in the first round to the New York Knicks.

It was New York where Payne headed, and last season he was a very good regular-season backup point guard in 72 games for the Knicks. He had one excellent playoff performance early, but otherwise experienced struggles so pronounced that he was removed from New York’s rotation. Payne signed a training camp deal with the Indiana Pacers ahead of this season but did not make the team. He has since been playing in Serbia, where he appears set to depart after a season that looks to have been somewhat underwhelming statistically.

With two roster spots that have yet to be filled on a permanent basis, the Sixers desperately needed one of their rest-of-season signings to come in the backcourt, where they had zero insurance behind Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes in the wake of the Jared McCain trade. Payne and Maxey may be too small of a backcourt to get by defensively, but the veteran should be able to play alongside either Edgecombe or Grimes if head coach Nick Nurse wants more ball-handling on the floor.

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