With the Knicks preparing to hold a three-man competition in training camp to fill an open roster spot, free agent guard Cameron Payne is no longer in their plans, a league source confirms to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link).
Payne came to New York last summer on a one-year minimum contract. He appeared in 72 games, making five starts and averaging 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per night with .401/.363/.907 shooting numbers.
Payne scored 14 points off the bench and was a plus-23 overall in the opener of the Knicks’ first-round series against Detroit. However, his shooting numbers declined throughout the playoffs, and he was removed from the rotation during the Eastern Conference Finals.
New York only has enough cap flexibility below the second tax apron to add one more veteran on a minimum-salary contract. Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet and Garrison Mathews all agreed to non-guaranteed deals this week and will battle for that spot on the roster.
Payne, 31, only has a couple of weeks to catch on with a new team before the start of training camp. There haven’t been any reports over the summer to indicate that he’s close to signing with anyone.
Payne was selected by Oklahoma City with the 14th pick in the 2015 draft. He was traded to Chicago at the 2017 deadline and later spent time with Cleveland, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Philadelphia before signing with the Knicks.
I love his energy, but in the end Brogdon is a better option. That’s if Brogdon is healthy…
Good bench fan and has his moments of streaks, but in the end his inconsistency and lack of respect with teams leaving him open ands doubling elsewhere made this a no brainer.
Very interesting when the news reported is something that everyone in the world already knew.
Breaking News! This just in, its a shocking development.
I’m surprised they prefer Brogdon over Payne. Brogdon is better when healthy, but he’s chronically injured. This means Knicks will to find (and pay) a 3rd PG.
I guess the Knicks haven’t been a good fit for Payne.
Based on watching Payne for years in the West, I thought he’d make a bigger contribution.