Cameron Payne Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Payne, Fernando, Free Agents, Breakout Candidates

October 28th, 2025 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

After being waived by the Pacers earlier this month, veteran point guard Cameron Payne reportedly received strong interest from KK Partizan, a EuroLeague-team based in Belgrade, Serbia. However, according to veteran NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link), Payne has opted to forgo overseas opportunities for now and will remain stateside in order to seek out his next NBA opportunity.

A 10-year NBA veteran who has earned regular playing time in Phoenix, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and New York in recent years, Payne appeared in 72 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 6.9 points and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per night while shooting 40.1% from the floor, including 36.3% from beyond the three-point line.

Payne received a training camp invitation from Indiana this fall but didn’t make a strong case in the preseason for a regular season roster spot, shooting just 28.6% from the field and registering nearly as many turnovers (six) as assists (seven).

We have more from around the basketball world:

While Payne apparently won’t be headed to Belgrade, another NBA veteran is set to join KK Partizan. As Javier Molero of Eurohoops relays, big man Bruno Fernando is signing with the Serbian club to fortify its frontcourt. Fernando, whose last stop was Real Madrid, made 220 regular season appearances in the NBA for four teams from 2019-25. He played in 17 games last season for the Raptors, but has been out of the league since being waived by Toronto in January.
Even though the 2025/26 season is now underway, there are still several notable players who finished last season on NBA rosters and remain unsigned. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report ranks the top 10 players who fit that bill, with Malik Beasley, Ben Simmons, and Precious Achiuwa topping his list.
Jeremy Woo of ESPN identifies his top five breakout candidates for the 2025/26 season, including Celtics wing Payton Pritchard, Pistons center Jalen Duren, and Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard.

And-Ones: Payne, Key, Raman, Breakout Players

October 25th, 2025 at 7:51pm CST by Rory Maher

EuroLeague team Partizan Belgrade has expressed “serious” interest in free agent point guard Cameron Payne, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (via Twitter).

As Stein notes, the Serbian club is looking for a backcourt replacement in the wake of a serious ankle injury to former NBA guard Carlik Jones, who will reportedly miss three months of action.

Payne has spent most of the past 10 seasons in the NBA after being selected 14th overall in 2015. He appeared in 72 regular season games with the Knicks in 2024/25, averaging 6.9 PPG and 2.8 APG in 15.1 MPG.

The 31-year-old went unsigned for nearly the entire offseason prior to catching on with Indiana on October 9. However, Payne didn’t play well during the preseason, and the Pacers decided to waive him before ’25/26 began even though they had (and still have) several backcourt injuries.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Four-year NBA veteran Braxton Key, who spent all of training camp and the preseason with Memphis before being cut last week, has officially signed a rest-of-season deal with Valencia Basket, the Spanish team announced in a press release (hat tip to Eurohoops). The 28-year-old forward was named G League Defensive Player of the Year last season and finished out ’24/25 on a standard contract with Golden State.
Sonia Raman, who was an assistant coach with the Grizzlies from 2020-24 prior to spending last season as an assistant with the WNBA’s New York Liberty, has agreed to a multiyear contract to become the Seattle Storm’s new head coach, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The Storm also compete in the WNBA.
John Hollinger of The Athletic lists 12 players he believes are primed for breakout seasons, including younger stars like Spurs center Victor Wembanyama and Lakers guard Luka Doncic, as well as more under-the-radar players such as Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili and Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. A pair of young Wizards wings — Cam Whitmore and Kyshawn George — are also breakout candidates, according to Hollinger.

Pacers Waive Cameron Payne, Two Others

October 18th, 2025 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

3:36 pm: The Pacers have officially waived Payne, the team confirmed in a press release. Recent signees Kyle Guy and Ray Spalding, who are ticketed for the Noblesville Boom in the G League, have also been cut, per the Pacers.

According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), the team is still weighing its options at the back of the roster, including whether to keep all of its centers or potentially add another point guard.

2:47 pm: Cameron Payne won’t make the Pacers‘ regular season roster, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), who reports that the team plans to waive the veteran point guard.

After initially targeting Monte Morris this fall for a training camp deal, Indiana pivoted to Delon Wright, who was injured during the preseason, prompting the club to sign Payne last week as a replacement.

A 10-year NBA veteran who has earned regular playing time in Phoenix, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and New York in recent years, Payne had a potential path to a roster spot on a Pacers team that will be without star Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles tear) for the entire 2025/26 season and is also currently missing T.J. McConnell (hamstring).

However, Payne didn’t stand out over the course of three preseason games, shooting just 28.6% from the field and registering nearly as many turnovers (six) as assists (seven). After getting a start in his first preseason outing as a Pacer, the 31-year-old came off the bench in the last two and was behind rookie guard (and preseason standout) Taelon Peter in the rotation on Friday.

Payne was on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, so waiving him won’t leave any dead money on the Pacers’ cap. Indiana is now in position to keep center Tony Bradley, who is on a standard non-guaranteed contract, assuming the team plans to carry a full 15-man standard roster into opening night.

T.J. McConnell Out At Least One Month With Hamstring Strain

October 9th, 2025 at 12:55pm CST by Rory Maher

Pacers point guard T.J. McConnell will be sidelined for at least one month after suffering a left hamstring strain, head coach Rick Carlisle announced today (Twitter link via the team).

McConnell was forced to leave Tuesday’s preseason opener in the second quarter due to the injury.

Obviously, it’s a disappointing development for the Pacers, who will be without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entire season after he sustained a torn Achilles tendon in the first quarter of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Second-round pick Kam Jones, another guard, is expected to miss multiple weeks with a back injury.

McConnell, 33, is entering his 11th NBA season and seventh with Indiana.

The veteran backup appeared in 79 regular season contests in 2024/25, averaging 9.1 points, 4.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 17.9 minutes per game. He also had a strong playoff showing, with very similar averages — 9.5 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.3 RPG, 0.9 SPG — in 23 games (17.5 MPG).

Indiana originally intended to sign Monte Morris to compete for a spot as the third-string point guard behind Andrew Nembhard and McConnell, but the deal fell through when Morris suffered a calf strain. Veteran Delon Wright was signed instead, but was released Thursday morning in favor of Cameron Payne after Wright took two brutal blows to the head during Tuesday’s preseason opener.

Wright announced on social media (Twitter link) that he needed 10 stitches above his right eye and four on his right elbow, but is “doing good” otherwise.

According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, Payne will likely be the second-string point guard while McConnell recovers. Carlisle discussed the transactions this afternoon.

“It just didn’t work out with Delon,” Carlisle said, per Dopirak. “Cam’s here. We’ve seen a lot of Cam the last two years with Milwaukee and New York. He’s a guy we always had to account for in scouts and what not. It’s a great opportunity for him.”

“His speed, his long-range shooting ability is high level,” Carlisle said when asked what he likes about Payne’s game. “He’s experienced, knows the game, has good feel, and he’s a play-maker.”

Pacers Sign Cameron Payne, Waive Delon Wright

October 9th, 2025 at 9:39am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have signed veteran point guard Cameron Payne and waived Delon Wright, the team announced in a press release.

Payne, who appeared in 72 regular season games with the Knicks last season, was one of the top free agents still on the market. Payne was signed to a training camp contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Payne averaged 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per night last season with .401/.363/.907 shooting numbers. He 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.

The New York Post reported last month the Knicks were not interested in re-signing him.

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 New York. He has appeared in 477 regular season games.

Ironically, Payne and Wright were teammates with the Knicks. Wright began last season with the Bucks before being traded to the Knicks ahead of the deadline. He averaged 3.1 points per game across 40 appearances with both teams and was a bit more productive in New York, averaging 4.3 points and 2.1 assists per night and making six playoff appearances. Wright has appeared in 548 regular season contests for 10 different NBA teams in a career that also began in 2015.

Wright was signed to an Exhibit 9 contract late last month. Exhibit 9 deals are standard, non-guaranteed contracts that protect an NBA team in the event that a player suffers a significant injury in training camp.

He played four minutes in the team’s preseason opener on Tuesday but was forced to exit after a head-to-head collision.

Knicks Won’t Re-Sign Cameron Payne

September 13th, 2025 at 5:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

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.

Unless they shed salary by making a trade, the Knicks only have 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 New York.

Western Notes: Wolves, Hyland, Dundon, Durant, Suns

August 14th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Due to their proximity to the second tax apron, the Timberwolves may only carry 14 players on standard contracts to open the 2025/26 season, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. While Minnesota has checked in on several free agent guards, including Cameron Payne, Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet, all signs point to Bones Hyland being the frontrunner for the 14th spot, Krawczynski reports.

Hyland signed a two-way contract with the Wolves last season, appearing in four games. As Krawczynski notes, Hyland was a former first-round pick by president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.

While breaking down the roster, Krawczynski writes that Johnny Juzang — who agreed to a training camp deal with the Wolves — is a long shot to make the cut but that Luka Garza forced his way onto the team with similar odds last year. Young players like Jaylen Clark, Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. are expected to have larger roles this season, Krawczynski adds.

We have more from the Western Conference:

A group led by the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon reached an agreement on Wednesday to buy the Trail Blazers. That group includes Sheel Tyle, co-CEO of Collective Global who is married to Dr. Sejal Hathi, the head of Oregon Health Authority, Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report writes (Substack subscriber link). The group’s local connection through Tyle is one of a few reasons why it stood out among the bidders, per Highkin.
After suggesting in a recent podcast that the Rockets might be reluctant to sign Kevin Durant to a maximum-salary extension, Tim MacMahon said on an NBA Today appearance that there isn’t any urgency to complete a multiyear agreement. MacMahon said the Rockets have other matters to attend to, including an extension for Tari Eason. “Kevin Durant is their best player, he’s not necessarily their priority,” MacMahon said. “That’s not an insult to him, their priority is making sure they have as long of a runway as possible while trying to cash in on this window that they created by getting Kevin Durant.“
Plenty of “ifs” stand in the way of the Suns making the playoffs, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports writes. While they could be a surprise team if things break the right way, Bourguet has them just on the outside looking in of the Western Conference playoff picture for next season, sitting at No. 11 in his conference power rankings. The Suns basically remade their depth after trading away Durant and waiving Bradley Beal, adding the likes of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams via trades.

Knicks Notes: Achiuwa, Tucker, Payne, Shamet, Free Agents, Brown

June 19th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Coming off a frustrating season in terms of playing time, Knicks big man Precious Achiuwa “started to see the game a lot differently” in January, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link).

Bondy notes that Achiuwa was never able to win the full trust of former head coach Tom Thibodeau, dating back to his arrival in a trade with Toronto last season. Thibodeau inserted former Knick Jericho Sims into the starting lineup instead of Achiuwa when Karl-Anthony Towns was injured, and Achiuwa saw his minutes drop even more when Mitchell Robinson returned in March.

Bondy points out that Achiuwa got off to a strong start during the preseason, but wasn’t able to claim a regular role after missing the first 21 games of the regular season with a hamstring strain.

“You don’t want to start off the season hurt,” Achiuwa said. “And I was kind of having a really good preseason. So getting hurt right there kind of throws you off your rhythm. You get back, you’re trying to get back your rhythm. And then you’re battling getting your rhythm with inconsistencies in terms of playing time, playing style. It took a while for me. But it was tough.”

Achiuwa is exploring his options as he prepares for free agency at the end of the month. Bondy believes the chances of him staying in New York may have improved slightly due to the coaching change, but the team’s salary cap situation makes a return uncertain.

“Going to take a little bit of time from my end to think about that stuff,” Achiuwa said regarding free agency. “But that’s something that’s important. So when that time comes, I have people who I pay money to handle that type of stuff, who have those type of conversations. So we’ll see how that goes.”

There’s more from New York:

The Knicks are almost certain to decline their $3.5MM option on P.J. Tucker for next season, Bondy adds in the same piece, but that doesn’t mean he won’t re-sign. Although Tucker barely played after joining the team in March, he established himself as a strong locker room leader. Bondy notes that free agent guards Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet are both close friends of Mikal Bridges, increasing the chances that they’ll return. Bondy identifies Al Horford, Nicolas Batum and Chris Paul as potential low-cost additions in free agency.
In a mailbag column, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic points to Grizzlies sharpshooter Luke Kennard as another possible free agent target. Edwards acknowledges that Kennard is likely to receive better offers than the $5.7MM he could get from New York, but adds that his status as a CAA client could give the Knicks an advantage. Edwards also names Horford as an MLE target, along with Spencer Dinwiddie and Trey Lyles.
Former Sacramento head coach Mike Brown conducted his interview with the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Payne, Game 5, Defense

May 29th, 2025 at 11:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson helped New York extend its postseason with a 111-94 Game 5 victory over Indiana on Thursday night, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post.

Robinson has been starting in the stead of guard Josh Hart since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. That said, Hart is still playing starter’s minutes, even as the team’s new sixth man, averaging 12 minutes per game more than Robinson.

“It’s just matchups and what’s going on in the game,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said of his decision to keep Robinson in the starting five. “Sometimes it’s impacted by foul trouble as well.”

Robinson logged six points, six boards, two blocks and a steal in 20 minutes of action. Beyond the statistics, Robinson’s defense against Indiana helped the Knicks build out a 20-point lead midway through the third quarter.

The 26-year-old will be on an expiring $13MM deal next season. His health has been an ongoing question mark throughout his pro career, but his defensive upside could put him in line for a raise on an extension and/or make him an intriguing asset for rival teams.

There’s more out of New York:

Knicks reserve guard Cameron Payne has fallen out of New York’s rotation even as Thibodeau has built out his bench rotation to include veterans Landry Shamet and Delon Wright, notes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post (subscriber link). Payne had suited up for all of New York’s first 14 playoff bouts, averaging 7.2 MPG. He has now been a healthy scratch in each of the Knicks’ last three games. Payne, on an expiring veteran’s minimum contract, may be playing himself out of a future in New York.
On the brink of elimination, the Knicks now live to fight another day after shellacking Indiana in Game 5. Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link) supplies his report card, awarding All-Star guard Jalen Brunson an A for his 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field. “I’m just very proud of what we did,” Brunson said, per SNY.tv (Twitter link). “Now, we’ve just got to replicate it in the first quarter of next game and then continue to build on that.”
The Knicks’ aggressive defense proved critical in stopping the best efforts of the Pacers’ best player, All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton, notes Schwartz in another piece. Haliburton notched a turnover-free 32-point, 15-assist, 12-rebound triple-double in Game 4. All-Defensive swingman Mikal Bridges served as Haliburton’s primary defender in Game 5. Haliburton didn’t connect from the floor until the third quarter. The two-time All-Star shot just 2-of-8 from the floor to finish with eight points. Robinson’s versatile defense proved crucial against the Pacers all over the floor. Shamet and Wright chipped in defensively, too.

Knicks Notes: Hart, Towns, Bridges, Payne, Thibodeau

April 28th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Hart has maximized his value to the Knicks by putting aside any personal dreams of stardom, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Throughout his career, which included stops with four teams in six years before he found a home in New York, Hart always believed he could be more than just a scrappy player who tends to make the right play at the right time.

He told Edwards that he adopted a new mindset this season and is now focused on finding ways to make his high-profile teammates better. That led to setting a franchise record with nine triple-doubles during the season and averaging career highs of 9.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists along with 13.6 points per game.

“I think it’s realizing … for me, I feel like I’ve grown in my faith more,” Hart said. “I’ve been trying to take on that servant mentality. I want to make sure I can cater to these guys and make sure that they’re successful and put in the right positions to blossom.”

Edwards states that Hart often points to Celtics guard Jrue Holiday as an example of sacrificing individual glory for the greater good. Holiday was a two-time All-Star who accepted a reduced role in Boston’s offense to help produce a championship, and he’s in a unique position to understand Hart’s value to the Knicks.

“Even though people might say, like, he doesn’t shoot the ball well enough or do whatever, he makes plays, and he makes the game easier for everybody else based off his play,” Holiday said. “And it’s not just his effort. He’s really smart. He gets to the basket. He offensive rebounds. Things that guys don’t really want to do, he’s excellent at it. Guys who really take that to heart and can really play that type of game, I feel like you can be in the league as long as you want to if you play that way.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Karl-Anthony Towns scored eight of the team’s final 10 points in Sunday’s win at Detroit, and one of the clutch shots was a fadeaway he developed while working with Kyrie Irving last summer, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Towns said Irving taught him the finer points of the shot, including where to hold the ball and how to launch it above the defender “It’s something that I never really had,” Towns said. “And it didn’t look as good. And I was able to iron my game out watching a great like him. One of the most talented players the NBA has ever seen and just did it as best I could to add my little flavor to it. It may not look as good as his — I ain’t going to lie, I think it’s pretty damn ugly — but it’s effective when I need it to be.”
Mikal Bridges hit two late three-pointers Sunday after shooting just 1-of-10 from the field in the first three quarters, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Bridges said he drew inspiration from his teammates, particularly Cameron Payne, who has seen limited playing time since scoring 14 points in the series opener. “I think the biggest is Cam Payne,” Bridges said. “He’s big on voicing, helping me out. Sometimes, him calling me some not good names helps as well. It just feeds off that.”
Coach Tom Thibodeau deserves more credit for the adjustments he has made throughout the series, including getting more shots for Towns after he was shut down in Game 2, contends Ian Begley of SNY. Begley notes that Thibodeau’s job might have been in jeopardy with a first-round loss, but he has responded with a high-level coaching performance.