It’s no surprise the Sixers were targeting a guard on the open market after the trade deadline.
The team sent Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Eric Gordon to the Memphis Grizzlies with no NBA players coming back to Philly. With Quentin Grimes missing two games with an illness before the All-Star break, the Sixers’ lack of depth at guard was exposed.
While names like Lonzo Ball and D’Angelo Russell were thrown out there, the Sixers ultimately decided to bring back a familiar face in Cameron
Payne. The 31-year-old was playing in Serbia for Partizan when he got word of the Sixers’ interest a few days ago.
His agent warned him things could move quickly from there.
“It actually happened really fast,” Payne said at the Sixers practice facility Wednesday. “[My agent] told me, ‘It’s going to happen pretty fast, so you might want to pack.‘”
Payne is no stranger to these types of twists and turns. He was the 14th overall pick in 2015 out of Murray State by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He struggled with injuries and inconsistency early in his career. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls, spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and even played two games in China in 2019.
He was able to resurrect his career with the Phoenix Suns, helping that team reach the Finals in 2020-21. He signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023-24 and was traded (along with a second-round pick) to the Sixers for Patrick Beverley. He gave the Sixers some solid minutes down the stretch and into the playoffs, parlaying that into a contract with the New York Knicks in 2024-25.
The Knicks moved on and Payne was in camp with the Indiana Pacers ahead of the 2025-26 season. He didn’t make the opening night roster and was waived. Instead of sitting around waiting for his next opportunity, Payne made the decision to go overseas.
As Payne learned, if you’re playing basketball somewhere in the world, the NBA will still have eyes on you.
“I told my agent this morning, I was like, ‘I don’t know how I keep finding a way to get back [the the NBA],‘” Payne said. “But I guess the NBA is still watching. If you still take your game seriously and do the right things, play the right way, they’re still looking.”
Payne enjoyed the experience with Partizan. He said the environment is a little wild — almost college-like. “It was lit, man,” he said. The other thing he got to do there was be the focal point of an offense, something he hadn’t been able to do since college. It was an opportunity and responsibility he didn’t take lightly.
While nobody will be asking that of him with the Sixers, they could certainly use a guard off the bench. Tyrese Maxey leads the NBA in minutes per game by a healthy margin. VJ Edgecombe leads all rookies in minutes — also by a healthy margin. Payne can play alongside either guy while giving the duo some rest during the final 28 games of the season.
Nick Nurse made it known that Payne will get minutes — in part to help his electric backcourt get to the postseason as fresh as possible.
“He can eat into some of those minutes to get those guys off the floor, for sure,” Nurse said. “And I would imagine down the stretch there’ll be games where he’ll play super huge minutes, too, when those two guys …. the workload gets [high] we can throw him in there in certain games, and he’s capable of doing that.”
If nothing else, Payne provides stability. The team knows what he is and what he brings to the table every night, something you couldn’t say about the Sixers’ guards off the bench this season.
“We know him,” Nurse said. “Veteran ball-handler. Guy who’s played in some big games. I think we’ve seen Cam provide some speed, energy, three-point shooting, run some pick-and-roll, get some layups here and there. … He looked like he’s in a really good rhythm. He’s been playing at a pretty high level over there.”
Payne has been in these spots. He knows what it takes to succeed, whether he’s playing big minutes or barely leaving the bench.
“I just always say ‘be you,’” Payne said. “Don’t ever change for anybody. Just be yourself.”
In 31 games for the Sixers back in 2023-24, Payne shot 38.2% from three and averaged 9.3 points and 3.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game. If that’s what the team gets now — on top of the energy he brings to the table — it’ll be a shrewd signing.
