Report: Free agent Cameron Payne will leave Sixers, sign with New York Knicks

After a short stay with the Philadelphia 76ers, veteran guard Cameron Payne has reportedly reached a one-year deal with an already-formidable rival, the New York Knicks.

Chris Haynes, Senior NBA Insider for TNT and Bleacher Report, first broke the news on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday evening. The Athletic’s Shams Charania added his report that Payne will earn $3.1 million for the year with the Knicks.

Back in February of this year, the Sixers acquired Payne and a second-round pick in a stunning deadline deal from the Milwaukee Bucks for Patrick Beverley, who’d become a fan favorite during his brief stint in Philly. It didn’t take Payne long to win the fan base over, though, being one of the few bright spots for a team that was ravaged by injuries during the second half of the season.

But it was the playoffs where Payne’s skillset truly shined. The 6-foot-3 guard reminded everyone that he’s a capable postseason performer, supplanting Buddy Hield’s spot in the rotation and hitting 44.4% of his attempts from three. Payne’s ability to dribble, pass and shoot was noticeable on a team that was lacking in those departments.

Now, he takes those attributes to an enemy — one the Sixers very well may cross paths with again in the playoffs. The Knicks ended the Sixers’ playoff journey this past season in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, winning the series 4-2 on Philadelphia’s court. The defeat at the hands of the team from just a quick trip up the New Jersey Turnpike was a deflating whimper of an end to a rollercoaster of a season for the Sixers.

Both the Sixers and the Knicks are set to look a bit different from the squads that took the court in battle back in May. The Sixers have made a number of moves throughout the offseason already (keep up with the current roster here), but the Knicks have been busy as well. New York lost players like Bojan Bogdanovic and Isaiah Hartenstein since the end of the playoffs, but gained assets like Mikal Bridges, a number of rookies out of the NBA Draft and now Payne added into the rotation.

Couldn’t have gone anywhere else, Cam?!