It can be difficult to stick around a franchise for the long haul after signing a one-year deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A 6-foot-1 former first-round pick experienced that as a member of the New York Knicks<\/a> last season, as his tenure with the organization proved to be temporary (he became a free agent after the 2024-25 season) despite being a fan favorite.<\/p>\n On Saturday, the 31-year-old was waived<\/a> by the Knicks\u2019 Eastern Conference rival.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c(Indiana) Pacers<\/a> waived guard Cam Payne,\u201d Fieldhouse Flies\u2019 Scott Agness reported.<\/p>\n Payne entered his 10th NBA season with a defined role. The Knicks brought the Murray State product in to provide energy and spunk off the bench as a confident lead guard, and he did just that.\u00a0<\/p>\n Payne, who appeared in 72 regular-season contests, averaged 6.9 points and 2.8 assists while shooting 40.1% from the field and 36.3% from three.\u00a0<\/p>\n Payne wasn\u2019t as productive in the postseason, though, as he only contributed 2.1 points and 0.6 assists on putrid shooting splits while playing 7.3 minutes per game.\u00a0<\/p>\n The NBA journeyman\u2019s most impressive playoff outing came against the Detroit Pistons<\/a> in the first round. Payne surprisingly notched 14 points, connected on 71.4% of his field goals, and drilled his triples at a 60% clip in the Knicks\u2019 123-112 Game 1 victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although Payne is no longer a member of the Knicks, it\u2019s reasonable to assume his contributions were appreciated by everyone associated with the franchise.\u00a0<\/p>\n