The Philadelphia 76ers are in a good spot heading into the second half of the season, and they still have a chance to make up some ground in the Eastern Conference. The team has played well, but there's no such thing as having too much depth. That's what the 76ers recently did, bringing back a familiar face to the fold, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
“Cam Payne is signing a rest-of-the-season deal to join the 76ers, league sources say. It has been reported in Europe that the veteran guard is securing a buyout from Partizan Belgrade in Serbia to come back to the NBA,” Stein wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Payne played with the 76ers during the 2023-24 season, appearing in 31 games and averaging 9.3 points per game. He was a key piece off their bench, and he continued to show it following that year when he was with the New York Knicks.
Payne has been able to keep his game sharp playing overseas, and he should be able to make some type of impact with the 76ers again. When Tyrese Maxey goes to the bench, he can come in for however many minutes they need him and get the offense going, as well as his own.
The 76ers also have other guards that Payne will be competing with for minutes, such as VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes. They also traded away Jared McCain, which will give Payne a chance to fill the minutes that he had. It will be interesting to see what kind of role he has when he gets to the team, but in all, it's good to have another guard in the rotation.
Right now, the 76ers are trying to manage most of the remainder of the season with Paul George, as he was suspended for 25 games.
