Payton signed a G League contract Wednesday and is expected to be assigned to a team in the near future, NBA writer Marc Stein reports.
The 28-year-old Payton was a lottery pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and enjoyed some success early in his career, but he's struggled to stick anywhere on a long-term basis since being dealt away by Orlando in February 2018. He's since bounced around between the Suns, Pelicans and Knicks before reaching free agency following the 2021-22 season after a second stint with Phoenix. After the veteran point guard was unable to find an opportunity with an NBA team ahead of training camp or during the first half of the current season, he'll head to the G League in an attempt to revive his downward-trending career.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Back to bench Wednesday
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Payton will come off the bench for Wednesday's game against the Timberwolves.
With Cameron Payne returning to the starting lineup after a one-game absence, Payton will shift back to a bench role. He's averaging 3.0 points, 2.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game this season.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Poor outing Sunday
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Payton recorded one point (0-3 FG, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals over 18 minutes during Sunday's 127-124 overtime victory over the Kings.
Payton didn't have a lot of involvement on offense and although the one-point stat line reads poorly, at least he managed to make his presence felt in other categories throughout a limited 18-minute appearance. It's worth noting he only started because Cameron Payne (illness) and Chris Paul (thumb) were absent, so Payton should head back to the bench sooner than later. His next chance to play will come Wednesday at Minnesota.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Will start Sunday
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Payton will start Sunday's contest against the Kings, Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com reports.
With Camerson Payne (illness) sidelined, Payton will draw his first start of the season. Aaron Holiday is also expected to see an increased role off the bench, but Devin Booker will likely handle the majority of the offensive playmaking responsibilities.
Payton produced two points (1-4 FG, 0-2 3Pt) and three assists over 14 minutes during Friday's 117-102 loss to the Pelicans.
Payton logged just 14 minutes despite the fact the Suns were without their three primary point guard options. If nothing else, this indicates where Payton currently site in the team's pecking order. While he can have some limited value when handed sufficient playing time, it is hard to that happening based on Friday's performance.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Nearly notches double-double
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Payton had 10 points (4-11 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 0-2 FT), six rebounds, nine assists and one steal over 22 minutes during Saturday's 132-105 win over Orlando.
The lopsided nature of the score allowed Payton to see his most playing time since Oct. 23, and he took advantage of the opportunity with his first double-digit scoring effort since late October. The veteran point guard finished with season-high single-game marks in both assists and rebounds to register his best performance of the campaign. Despite the strong effort, Payton isn't likely to see minutes beyond the teens most nights.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Fails to score in 10 minutes
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Payton closed Thursday's 124-115 loss to the Hawks with zero points (0-1 FG), two rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 10 minutes.
Payton managed to dish out seven assists but offered very little else in the loss. Even without Cameron Payne who is out with a wrist injury, Payton has not been able to establish himself as a sizeable part of the rotation. He has not played more than 15 minutes since all the way back on December 19, and so chances are he remains a nonfactor the rest of the way.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Clears protocols
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Payton (COVID-19) has cleared the NBA's health and safety protocols, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Payton has now been in and out of protocols twice during this week alone and has been cleared once again ahead of Friday's game against the Celtics. The 27-year-old has played a depth role behind Chris Paul and Cameron Payne this season, averaging 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Re-enters protocols, out Wednesday
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Payton (COVID-19 health and safety protocols) won't play in Wednesday's game against the Thunder, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Payton was in league protocols on Sunday before returning to the court for Monday's loss to the Grizzlies, but he will now miss Wednesday's game after landing in the health and safety protocols for the second time this week. As a result, more minutes could be available for Landry Shamet and Cameron Payne.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Small role in Monday's loss
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Payton (COVID-19 health and safety protocols) played nine minutes and finished with two points (1-3 FG), two rebounds and one steal in Monday's 114-113 loss to the Grizzlies.
Payton entered the health and safety protocols Sunday and appeared destined to miss time, but he was cleared hours before Monday's opening tip, suggesting he may have initially been ruled out due to a false positive test result. Regardless, Payton continued to handle a fringe role in the Phoenix rotation, as the absences of DeAndre Ayton and Jae Crowder due to health and safety protocols helped the veteran point guard pick up some minutes while the Suns relied more heavily on small-ball lineups. Once Phoenix has its full complement of players available, Payton likely won't have a spot on the second unit, as Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet both look to be ahead of him on the depth chart behind backcourt starters Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Clears protocols, available Monday
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Payton cleared the COVID-19 protocols and will be available for Monday's game against the Grizzlies, Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Payton landed in the health and safety protocols Sunday, but he was able to produce negative tests and clear the protocols in time to suit up Monday. The 27-year-old has played only seven minutes across the past three games and may not have a significant role with Phoenix's backcourt in full health.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Enters health and safety protocols
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Payton was placed in the league's health and safety protocols Sunday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Payton hadn't appeared in two of the last three contests, but he'll now be unavailable due to the league's health and safety protocols. Landry Shamet could see a slight uptick in usage while Payton is sidelined. It's not yet clear whether he's tested positive for COVID-19 or when he'll be able to return.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Shines in season debut
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Payton registered 14 points (6-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six assists, four rebounds and one steal over 25 minutes Saturday in a loss to the Trail Blazers.
After sitting out the Suns' first two games of the campaign, Payton seized the opportunity for more minutes instigated by Cameron Payne's hamstring pull. Payton trailed only Chris Paul for the team lead in assists in the contest while tying for second in scoring. His 25 minutes were largely a result of the lopsided nature of the contest, though, and his opportunity may last only as long as Payne remains sidelined. Payton has enjoyed stretches of fantasy relevance in his career, but -- despite Saturday's strong showing -- he isn't likely to be a major factor throughout the course of the current campaign.
Payton posted eight points (4-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt), nine assists, eight rebounds, four steals and one block with no turnovers in 24 minutes during Wednesday's preseason win over the Trail Blazers.
With Chris Paul sitting out for rest, Payton was in charge of running point for the Suns off the bench while Cameron Payne got the start. Though Payton put up an impressive two-way statline, there will be limited opportunities for him to do so during the regular season since he's the third point guard on the depth chart.
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Suns' Elfrid Payton: Returns to Phoenix
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Payton agreed Monday with the Suns on a one-year deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Payton will join the Suns for his second stint in Phoenix, where he played briefly during the 2017-18 campaign. The point guard was a starter for the Knicks during the past two seasons, but his efficiency as a passer took a major hit in 2020-21, as he averaged a career-low 3.2 assists per contest. With the Suns re-signing starter Chris Paul this offseason, Payton will challenge Cameron Payne for the top backup spot at point guard.
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Knicks' Elfrid Payton: Coming off bench
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Payton will come off the bench for Friday's Game 3 against the Hawks, Brad Rowland of PeachtreeHoops.com reports.
Payton's minutes have been dwindling since late April, and coach Tom Thibodeau is finally pulling the plug on Payton's starter status after the point guard played just 13 combined minutes in Games 1 and 2. He can be ignored in fantasy.
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Knicks' Elfrid Payton: Goes for 11 points Wednesday
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Payton registered 11 points (5-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds and four assists across 20 minutes in Wednesday's win over the Pelicans.
Payton was one of three Knicks starters who scored in double digits, and that's a positive sign for him, but Derrick Rose ended up playing more minutes at the point despite coming off the bench. His performance has been a bit uneven, but Payton has now scored in double figures in four straight games. Though he seems entrenched as the Knicks' starting point guard, it's worth noting that he hasn't cracked 30 minutes since early March.
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Knicks' Elfrid Payton: Efficient in win
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Payton recorded 20 points (9-12 FG, 2-4 FT), three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 27 minutes during Monday's win over the Lakers.
The 27-year-old scored 20 points for the first time since March 4. Payton had been playing well before Monday's game, averaging 10.0 points, 3.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 three-pointers and 0.8 steals over his last five games. The seventh-year guard will look to build on this impressive scoring performance Wednesday on the road against the Pelicans.
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Knicks' Elfrid Payton: One assist shy of double-double
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Payton mustered 11 points (4-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-4 FT), nine assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block across 25 minutes in Saturday's win over the Pistons.
Payton had a rough night from the field and needed 12 shots to score 11 points, but he excelled in other areas of the game. He ended just one assist shy of putting up a double-double while recording multiple steals for the third time over his last seven appearances. Payton might never be a reliable scoring weapon, but he has a decent floor due to his ability to rack up stats left and right.
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Knicks' Elfrid Payton: Stuffs stat sheet Wednesday
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Payton delivered 17 points (6-12 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-5 FT), five rebounds, four assists and two steals across 28 minutes in Wednesday's loss against the Timberwolves.
Payton missed nine of the Knicks' 11 games between Feb. 25 and March 21, and he had been underwhelming upon his return with averages of just 7.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game over his past four appearances before breaking out Wednesday. This was Payton's best scoring performance since March 4, when he finished with 20 points in a win over the Pistons, and perhaps it was just the game he needed to spark his confidence.
