All offseason long, the Knicks have been linked to veteran guards who could come in and serve as an immediate depth piece off the bench. For a bit, the Knicks were linked to Kyle Lowry, who recently re-signed with the Sixers on a one-year deal.
After getting selected in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft, Payne started his career on the Oklahoma City Thunder. During his sophomore campaign, he was moved to the Chicago Bulls. Payne spent a few seasons with the Bulls before landing on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019. After the 2022-2023 season, Payne was moved to the San Antonio Spurs. He was traded for a future second-round pick and cash considerations. After getting waived by a rebuilding Spurs team, Payne hit the free agency market and joined the Milwaukee Bucks on a one-year deal.