After a short stint with Partizan Belgrade, Cameron Payne is heading back to the United States to suit up for the Philadelphia 76ers, per insider Marc Stein. Payne will give the 76ers solid guard depth after trading away Jared McCain. He already has familiarity with the franchise, as he was traded there back in 2024 after a short stint with the... Milwaukee Bucks.
Former Milwaukee Bucks guard joins Eastern Conference foe
The Bucks' Cameron Payne experiment was extremely short-lived. Having signed with the team in the 2023 offseason after the shocking Damian Lillard trade, Payne was entrusted to be the backup guard to Milwaukee's new star. He was fine, providing solid shooting and facilitating to the tune of 6.2 points and 2.3 assists per game while hitting 39.7 percent of his triple tries.
Yet, Payne's time in the 414 didn't last long, as he was dealt at the NBA Trade Deadline to Philadelphia in exchange for Patrick Beverley. On Milwaukee's end, it was viewed as a win at the time, considering just how badly they needed a defensive spark in the backcourt. Beverley did indeed provide that, but he certainly wasn't enough to help the Bucks overcome their injuries and overall shortcomings.
Payne has been all over the place since departing Milwaukee. After ending the season with Philly, he joined the New York Knicks, where he was a solid second-unit contributor. When they elected not to bring him back, he joined the Indiana Pacers for training camp, hoping to stick, but he was let go, paving the way for him to go overseas. Now, he's back in action.
He won't be a needle-mover for the 76ers, who are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, but he can certainly help. It never hurts to beef up the playoff rotation with a battle-tested veteran who has familiarity with the franchise already built in.
Payne is featured on a long list of backup point guards who simply haven't worked for the Bucks this decade. DJ Augustin. George Hill. Delon Wright. It goes on and on. One could argue that the only two who have worked out are Jeff Teague, who helped Milwaukee win the 2021 title, and Ryan Rollins, who has become one of the top options for the current Milwaukee Bucks as a full-time starter.
Time will tell if he fares better during his second stint with the Philadelphia 76ers.
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