Guard reinforcements are on the way for the Sixers.
The team is bringing back Cameron Payne for the rest of the season, a source confirms to Liberty Ballers. TeleSport was the first to report the signing. Payne had been playing in Serbia for Partizan Belgrade, reportedly agreeing to a buyout to return to the NBA.
After the dust settles from all the post-trade deadline roster moves, the Sixers will have two standard roster spots open — both currently occupied by players on 10-day deals in Charles Bassey and Patrick Baldwin. It appears Payne will slide into one of those spots. There’s no clear indication if the other spot will be used to convert two-way player Jabari Walker to a standard deal or further explore the buyout market.
Payne came to the Sixers at the 2024 trade deadline (along with a second-round pick) in the deal that sent Patrick Beverley to the Milwaukee Bucks. In hindsight, that move was an absolute steal as Payne provided much-needed offensive juice while Beverley saw an unceremonious end to this NBA career.
The 31-year-old Payne spent last season with the New York Knicks. This past offseason, the Knicks sought to upgrade that role with veteran Jordan Clarkson and former Sixer Landry Shamet. Payne was in camp with the Indiana Pacers ahead of the 2025-26 season, but was waived and then took his talents overseas.
The Sixers traded Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for draft capital and also moved veteran Eric Gordon to the Memphis Grizzlies in a salary dump. The team went from a glut of guards to lacking depth as we saw last week when Quentin Grimes missed a pair of games because of illness.
Payne won’t solve all the Sixers’ problems, but he’ll add shooting and can competently run an NBA offense. He’s likely a better guard option than most of the players who were recently bought out. With Tyrese Maxey leading the NBA in minutes and VJ Edgecombe leading rookies in minutes, the team needed a better option than soon-to-be 40-year-old Kyle Lowry. They appear to have one in Payne.