A 6-foot-1 fan favorite guard won’t return to the New York Knicks for the 2025-26 season.
After failing to re-sign with the franchise, the valuable 31-year-old role player joined the Indiana Pacers for training camp on Thursday, ending his one-year stint with the Knicks.
“The Indiana Pacers have signed guard Cam Payne to a training camp contract and waived guard Delon Wright,” HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto wrote on X/Twitter Thursday.
Payne signed a one-year deal with the Knicks last offseason after spending the 2023-24 campaign with the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.
While Payne’s head-scratching decision-making and shot selection were frustrating at times, the Murray State product’s infectious energy and supreme confidence helped him gain the support of the Knicks’ fan base.
Payne, who helped jumpstart an epic fourth-quarter comeback against the Detroit Pistons early in the postseason (Game 1 of the opening round), averaged 6.9 points and 2.8 assists per game on 40.1% field goal shooting and 36.3% three-point shooting.
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For his career, the Memphis, Tennessee native is averaging 7.8 points and 3.2 assists while connecting on 41.9% of his field goals and 36.8% of his three-point jumpers.
At this stage of his career, Payne should continue serving as a spark plug off the bench who can catch fire on the offensive end.
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