Sixers Signing Fan-Favorite Guard Out of Serbia

The Sixers are signing guard Cameron Payne to a rest-of-season deal, a source confirmed to OnSI.

The news was first reported by TeleSport and Marc Stein.

This will be Payne's second go-around with Philadelphia. The Sixers acquired him from the Milwaukee Bucks on the day of the 2024 trade deadline, sending out veteran guard Patrick Beverley.

Beverley established himself as a dogged energy source for the Sixers, earning appreciation from the locals. Payne quickly stepped in and replaced the energy that Beverley brought, fitting in nicely with the team and the market.

It felt like there was a hole in the team's spirit in the aftermath of the trade that sent Jared McCain to the Oklaoma City Thunder. Payne's personality will fill that, loosening up the locker room and bringing some flair to the bench.

On the court, it's a sensible match for more reasons than one. Payne is a fine passer and proficient shooter, offering a spark the Sixers could certainly use behind Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in the starting lineup. But more than that, he has a chance to step in quickly. He has experience playing for Nick Nurse and had good moments playing next to Embiid and Maxey two seasons ago.

It is still more than fair to think about what Payne is truly offering as this regular season winds down and the playoffs approach. He'll ostensibly be fourth in the guard rotation, perhaps still calling for game-to-game minutes but not fitting a prioritized hole in the roster. Nurse's preference for Quentin Grimes over McCain was an example of how defensive versatility can take you a long way on this team. Payne is not credibly offering that.

That credibility dissipates the deeper you go into the playoffs, if the Sixers are able to make it beyond the first round. That is why I would've advocated for using your final roster spots on forward types, players with bodies that have better chances of holding up in the postseason. But a roster spot will open once Charles Bassey's 10-day contract expires, assuming the Sixers don't re-sign him. So perhaps there'll be room for one more bigger body before all is said and done.

But the Sixers will take the offensive boost and depart from the reality that they were one bad step away from Kyle Lowry having to play rotation minutes in the wake of McCain's exit.

Now they have a new Chief Vibes Officer to celebrate when teammates make big plays.