The New York Knicks opted to run things back this season with largely the same core that led them to an Eastern Conference Finals berth in 2024-25.
Of course, their talent pool did see a few shakeups during the summer months, with arguably the most noteworthy departure being backup point guard Cameron Payne, who signed with the Indiana Pacers before being waived prior to the start of the regular season.
Soon after becoming a free agent, he took his talents overseas to play for KK Partizan of the Serbian League, ABA League, and EuroLeague.
Now, after seeing two months of trans-continental action, Payne officially finds himself heading back to the NBA for this post-All-Star stretch of the campaign, with insider Marc Stein recently revealing that he has agreed to a rest-of-season deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Former Knicks guard Cameron Payne signing with Philadelphia 76ers
Per reports, Payne had been held out from several outings over the past couple of weeks, which, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops, sparked initial rumors of his possible in-season departure from the team.
In 10 games played in the EuroLeague, the 31-year-old posted averages of 12.4 points, 3.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals, while dropping 10.8 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals in five appearances in the AdmiralBet ABA League, before taking part in one of the largest buyout agreements in Serbian team history (Partizan will receive $1.75 million).
His last season in the NBA came during the 2024-25 campaign with the Knicks, where he served as Jalen Brunson's understudy. Through 72 games played, he posted averages of 6.9 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 36.3 percent from deep.
Payne now finds himself heading to the 76ers as they look to gear up for their eighth playoff appearance in nine seasons.
The point guard already has an established history with Philadelphia, as he played 31 games with the club during the season before joining the Knicks and finished with averages of 9.3 points and 3.1 assists on 38.2 percent shooting from deep.
His familiarity with the franchise and its scheme should come in handy down the stretch, as they've been ravaged by injuries, suspensions, and trades, leaving the Sixers with just 13 standard-contract players.
Of course, as any Knicks fan can attest, following his brief stint in the Big Apple last year, Payne is far from a needle-mover at this stage in his career, meaning that his addition presumably will have little to no impact on New York's second-best odds of coming out of the East.