INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers have waived veteran point guard Cameron Payne just nine days after he was signed, league sources told IndyStar on Saturday. Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype first reported the news.
Payne’s release is the latest setback in the Pacers’ attempt to build point guard depth with All-Star Tyrese Haliburton out for the season with an Achilles tendon tear suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. For the moment, it’s not obvious who the backup will be behind starter Andrew Nembhard when the Pacers’ season opens on Thursday at home against the Thunder in an NBA Finals rematch.
Payne was signed on Oct. 9 after veteran backup point guard T.J. McConnell suffered a hamstring strain and guard Delon Wright suffered a head injury in the Pacers’ preseason opening win over the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Oct. 7. The Pacers waived Wright before signing Payne and McConnell will miss a month according to coach Rick Carlisle.
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The Pacers also attempted to sign veteran point guard Monte Morris, but opted not to when medical evaluations showed that his calf strain would cost him most of preseason training camp.
Payne, a 10-year NBA veteran, struggled to find a rhythm with the Pacers in three preseason games with the first occurring two days after he was signed. He averaged 6.7 points in 17.1 minutes per game on 28.6% shooting including 30.6% from 3-point range. He recorded seven assists against five turnovers and the Pacers were a total of -47 in his 51 total minutes of action. Payne didn’t appear at all in the first half of Friday’s preseason finale against the Spurs in San Antonio, a sign that the Pacers might be considering going another direction.
Payne, the No. 14 pick in the 2015 draft out of Murray State, has played for seven teams including the Knicks last season. He was backup point guard for the Phoenix Suns team that reached the NBA Finals in 2020-21 before losing to the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s averaging 7.8 points and 3.2 assists per game for his career.
Payne’s departure raises the question of who will serve as the backup point guard to starter Andrew Nembhard when the season begins. Rookie Taelon Peter, taken with the 54th pick of the June draft out of Liberty, is on a two-way contract, took the backup point guard minutes in Friday’s game, but that is not his natural position. Two-way contract guard Quenton Jackson is also an option, but he is dealing with hamstring soreness and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said he could miss the opener. Rookie guard Kam Jones is out until at least Nov. 9 with a back issue.
The Pacers have until Monday at 5 p.m. to cut their roster to 15 players on standard contracts and two-way contracts. They could still pursue a veteran point guard in that time. For the moment they have four centers on the roster including two — James Wiseman and Tony Bradley — on non-guaranteed contracts who they could cut.
Earlier in the day, the Pacers announced they were waiving wings Gabe McGlothan and Jalen Slawson after they appeared in all four preseason games. That was an expected move as both were on Exhibit 10 contracts and they will both be playing for the Noblesville Boom, the Pacers’ G League affiliate. Players on such deals can make the team on a non-guaranteed minimum contract, but if they are waived they make a bonus if they play at least 60 days on the G League team of the organization they signed with. This year that bonus is up to approximately $85,000.
McGlothan played 75 minutes in four preseason games for the Pacers and scored a total of 17 points on 7 of 27 shooting including 3 of 15 from 3-point range. Slawson played 66 minutes and scored 11 points on 3of 14 shooting.
The Pacers also formally signed guard, Lawrence Central High School grad and 2016 Indiana Mr. Basketball Kyle Guy and forward Ray Spalding to Exhibit 10 contracts and then promptly waived them, meaning they will also be playing for the Boom and earning bonuses. Guy and league sources confirmed the Pacers’ intent to sign Guy to an Exhibit 10 deal at the beginning of October. Guy returns from retirement after joining Steve Alford’s coaching staff at Nevada.
Spalding, a 6-9, 225-pound forward, played at Trinity High School in Louisville, Ky., then played three college seasons at Louisville, averaging 12.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game as a junior with the Cardinals. He left for the NBA and was taken by the 76ers with the No. 56 pick in the 2018 draft. He has played a combined 16 NBA games but hasn’t been in an NBA game since the 2020-21 season when he made two appearances for the Rockets. In 154 G League games, he’s averaging 12.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks per game with his last G League action coming in the 2023-24 season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ affiliate. Last season, he played internationally in Cyprus and Israel.
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