Knicks to Sign Free Agent Guard, Shoring Up Depth in Summer Roster Revamp

The New York Knicks are signing free agent point guard Cameron Payne to a one-year, $3.1 million free agent contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

As the Eastern Conference’s top teams look to bolster their depth in an effort to unseat the mighty Boston Celtics, New York has added another proven veteran in a veritable free agent arms race. The Celts just captured their first title after several seasons of deep playoff runs behind their core All-Star dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Payne, a journeyman 29-year-old, was most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers, having been traded midway through last season. The Milwaukee Bucks former All-Defensive Team point guard Patrick Beverley received exchange.

Payne enjoyed a bigger role after the trade as Tyrese Maxey’s primary backup. For the year, the 6-foot-3 vet notched averages of 7.4 points on a .432/.390/.866 slash line, 2.6 assists, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.5 steals a night in 16.7 minutes per game, while appearing in 78 regular season contests (10 starts).

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Payne at the end of the lottery in the 2015 NBA Draft with the No. 14 pick out of Murray State. While with Racers, Payne had been honored as the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and the winner of the Lute Olson Award, while earning a pair of All-OVC First-Team accolades during his two-season NCAA tenure.

After just a season-and-a-half with the Thunder — where he was more praised for his in-game celebrations than his actual play on the hardwood — Payne was traded to the Chicago Bulls. He failed to make much of a dent on some middling, lottery-bound Chicago clubs before he was traded again, this time to the Cleveland Cavaliers midway through the 2018-19 season.

Payne finally came into his own as a reserve behind first Ricky Rubio and then future Hall of Famer Chris Paul with the Phoenix Suns. During his first year in Phoenix (2019-20) Payne averaged a career-high 10.9 points on an elite .485/.517/.857 slash line, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals. Payne stayed with the Suns through the 2022-23 season, as a chippy playmaker and solid release valve jump shooter.

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The Knicks have taken some big swings this summer, inking forward OG Anunoby and All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson to long-term extensions, trading several future draft picks for swingman Mikal Bridges, and letting starting center Isaiah Hartenstein walk for a lucrative three-year, $87 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Payne will help shore up the Knicks’ point guard depth behind Brunson and presumably his primary backup, Miles McBride.