Cavaliers won’t sign Payne for rest of season

The Cleveland Cavaliers have informed point guard Cameron Payne that they do not intend to sign him for the remainder of the season

It appears that Cameron Payne’s time in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform will soon come to an end. The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reported that the team informed Payne they would not sign him for the rest of the season.

This news is hardly a surprise. Payne was signed to his initial 10-day deal after Cleveland waived Patrick McCaw due to lack of depth at the point guard position. At the time rookie Collin Sexton was the only healthy point guard on the roster. Matthew Dellavedova was injured and the team desperately needed a backup. Hence the decision to waive McCaw and sign Payne.

Apparently Payne did just enough to warrant a second 10-day contract. Cleveland and Payne agreed to terms on a second 10-day deal even with a healthy Dellavedova on the roster. Payne did see his fair share of playing time in Cleveland, but did not appear in Friday’s loss to Miami. Payne averaged 19.6 minutes and 8.2 points per game in his nine appearances for Cleveland this season. Mostly seeing time in blowout losses, Payne initially played fairly well. That changed as Payne struggled over his last three games.

The Cavaliers decision to move on from Payne can be attributed that his second tryout period did not go as well as the initial one. There is also the possibility that the team is discussing trades and could potentially acquire another point guard. There is also the option of signing another player to a 10-day deal in another tryout scenario. Whatever the reason is it appears that the Cavaliers would prefer to see what else is out there instead of signing Cameron Payne for the rest of the year.