Elfrid Payton: Contract expires

Payton became a free agent Friday after his second 10-day contract with the Hornets expired, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

Charlotte will have the option of signing Payton to a rest-of-season contract, but with the Hornets having prioritized rookies KJ Simpson and Damion Baugh as reserve options at point guard over the past two games, it's unclear if the team is interested in retaining the 31-year-old veteran. Over the course of his pair of 10-day deals, Payton made six appearances and averaged 1.0 points, 3.3 assists and 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 20.3 minutes per game while shooting just 14.3 percent from the field.