The Philadelphia 76ers are in a good position in the second half of the season, and they still have a chance to make some headway in the Eastern Conference. The team has played well, but there is no such thing as having too much depth. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the 76ers recently did just that by bringing back a familiar face.
League sources say, “Cam Payne is signing a rest-of-the-season deal to join the 76ers. It has been reported in Europe that the veteran guard is receiving a buyout from Partizan Belgrade in Serbia to return to the NBA,” Steen, formerly of the X, wrote on Twitter.
Payne played with the 76ers during the 2023–24 season, appearing in 31 games and averaging 9.3 points per game. He was an important part of their bench, and he continued to show it the year after when he was with the New York Knicks.
Payne has been able to keep his game sharp while playing overseas, and he should be able to make some type of impact again with the 76ers. When Tyrese Maxey goes to the bench, he can come in and get as many minutes as he needs on offense, as well as his own.
The 76ers also have other guards that Payne will compete with for some minutes, such as VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes. They also traded away Jared McCann, which will give Payne a chance to fill the minutes he has. It will be interesting to see what kind of role he will have when he comes to the team, but overall, it’s good to have another guard in the rotation.
Right now, the 76ers are trying to make the most of the remainder of the season with Paul George suspended for 25 games.
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