During the 2025-26 training camp, the Pacers signed Cameron Payne to a deal. His time with Indiana was brief. Ahead of the season, Payne was waived by the Pacers and didn’t make the official roster.
The 31-year-old is now an unrestricted free agent, still waiting for his perfect opportunity to return to the NBA.
League insiders say Payne recently turned down an offer to play overseas in Serbia. He’s choosing to be patient instead, hoping for another shot in the NBA.
Payne’s NBA journey began back in 2015 when the Thunder picked him 14th overall out of Murray State. Over his 10-year career, he’s bounced around quite a bit, playing for seven different teams.
His longest stint was with the Suns, where he spent four seasons and appeared in 174 games.
Last season, Payne played for the New York Knicks on a one-year, $3.3 million deal – the veteran minimum for someone with his experience. He appeared in 72 games for the Knicks, starting five of them.
The Pacers signed him before this season’s training camp, but his stay was incredibly short – just nine days before getting cut right before the regular season tipped off on October 21.
“Veteran guard Cameron Payne has decided to stay home for now to wait for his next NBA opportunity,” reported Marc Stein, “despite strong interest from Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade.”
Playing overseas isn’t uncommon for NBA veterans. This offseason alone, players like Spencer Dinwiddie and Jared Butler signed with international teams.
The EuroLeague currently features 119 former NBA players.
But Payne seems confident he’ll land another NBA contract soon.
Where might he end up? NBA insider Marc Stein mentioned several possibilities: the Pacers, Mavericks, Rockets, and Grizzlies.
The Pacers actually make a lot of sense right now. They’re dealing with a serious injury crisis in their backcourt – star Tyrese Haliburton is out for the season, T.J. McConnell is sidelined for a month with a hamstring issue, and Bennedict Mathurin recently left a game early with foot soreness.
With all these injuries piling up, could Indiana bring back the veteran guard they just cut a few weeks ago? For Payne’s sake, the timing might be perfect.
