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oct 03 2026Anadolu Efes has moved quickly to fill a crucial gap. According to journalist Matteo Andreani, the Turkish club has secured the signing of Cameron Payne, the American point guard who made his EuroLeague debut last season with Partizan. The move comes just two days after the team suffered its biggest blow under head coach Pablo Laso.
Filling Mike James's Void
On Thursday, at the Belgrade Arena, Mike James suffered a non-contact Achilles tendon injury with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter of the Crvena Zvezda-Efes game (77-72). On Friday, he underwent surgery, and the club estimates a seven to nine-month recovery period, which effectively means the entire season.
Efes had built its project around the all-time leading scorer in EuroLeague history, who arrived this summer from Monaco. In his first three games, he was averaging 15.0 points and 4.0 assists. With his injury, the Turkish team sits at 1-2 and without its primary playmaker.
Who Is Cameron Payne
Payne, 32, was selected 14th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by Oklahoma City and has played for seven NBA franchises: Thunder, Bulls, Cavaliers, Suns, Bucks, 76ers, and Knicks. His best stint came in Phoenix, where he played in the 2021 Finals as backup point guard to Chris Paul.
His 2025-26 season was a back-and-forth affair. After being left without a spot in the Pacers before the NBA season started, he signed with Partizan in December through the end of the season. In Belgrade, under head coach Joan Peñarroya, he averaged 12.4 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.3 rebounds in ten EuroLeague games, shooting 33.3% from three-point range and 86.2% from the free throw line. In February, he returned to the NBA with the 76ers, finishing the season with 7.4 points and 2.6 assists in 22 games.
See Also
- Mike James Signs with Anadolu Efes
- Cameron Payne Brings NBA Experience to Partizan's Crucial Stretch
- EuroLeague Market 2026-27: Signings and Departures by Team
What He Brings to Efes
Payne is not a statistical replacement for James nor does he carry the same weight within the team. He is a scoring point guard with outside shooting ability and the capacity to create without the ball in his hands, and he already knows the rhythm of EuroLeague and won't need an adjustment period. He will share rotation time on the wing with Fatts Russell, Matthew Strazel, and Jordan Loyd, and his arrival allows Laso to distribute the load that James was carrying rather than placing it on a single player.
The length of the contract and whether the club announces it officially before the fourth matchday remain to be seen.
