The rumors around the Sacramento Kings making big moves may be slowing down, but the questions around the roster remain as prominent as ever, with the main question being who will be the backup point guard.
Devin Carter is going to get some run as the point guard of the Kings Summer League team, and the team seems high on the idea of rookie Nique Clifford having the ability to run the point, but there is no true point guard on the roster outside of newly acquired Dennis Schroder.
There will be even more of a whole in the roster if the Kings trade Malik Monk, which has been heavily rumored this offseason.
While the Kings have an abundance of guards, they’re in the unfortunate position of that still being a roster issue.
Sactown Sports 1140’s Kyle Draper stated today on The Drive Guys that there’s a veteran point guard who has his eye on coming to Sacramento to help fill the possible gap in the roster. “I know of another guard that would love to come and play in Sacramento. His representative are trying to angle him to Sac. Cam Payne,” Draper stated.
“His representatives are trying to angle him to Sac.”@KyleDraperTV drops that free agent point guard Cameron Payne has interest in joining the Sacramento Kings pic.twitter.com/jbiwCBGl84
— Sactown Sports 1140 (@Sactown1140) July 10, 2025
Payne, a 10-year veteran, averaged 6.9 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 rebounds on 40.1% shooting from the field and 36.3% from three last season with the New York Knicks. He’s never been a high-volume scorer, but Payne brings energy and hustle that can impact the game, as shown by his surge off the bench in the recent Knicks playoff run.
He also has a career 36.8% three-point percentage, and over the last six seasons, has shot 38.1% from beyond the arc. Last year with the Knicks, he hit his wide-open threes at a 39.7% clip, which gets the job done with everything else he brings to the court.
Payne was also one of the Knicks best players according to his advanced numbers. He had a +6.9 on/off net rating last season in New York, meaning the Knicks net rating went up by 6.9 when he was on the court compared to when he sat. That actually led the team for the season.
His biggest impact was on the defensive end, where he had a 107.5 defensive rating, compared to the Knicks’ defensive rating of 114.2 when he sat. Payne may be approaching 31, but he can clearly still impact a game.
The question is, is he what the Kings need? While Payne could come in and average 15ish minutes per game, it would limit the opportunity for Carter and Clifford, and even Keon Ellis. The good news is that Payne would likely be on a good contract. He made $3 million last season and will likely make around the same this year.
The Kings will likely use these Summer League games to plan out the rest of their offseason moves, and while it may not seem like they need another guard at this point, a few subpar performances or future trades could change that quickly. It’s good to know that there’s at least another quality veteran option available, and interested if the Kings need to bring in someone else.
