Payne has missed 11 games through the first half of the season due to foot and ankle injuries, but he was able to resume his backup point guard duties through the final 11 games prior to the All-Star break, averaging 6.6 points on 50.9 percent shooting, 1.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 triples across 15.2 minutes per contest. After the team acquired Chris Paul in the offseason, the 26-year-old point guard has averaged 16.4 minutes per game so far this season in the bench role. Payne has shot 42.1 percent from downtown on 2.4 attempts per game. His season high in scoring came in a Feb. 20 win over Memphis in which he posted 19 points to go along with seven assists across 26 minutes.

The Suns signed Payne to a contract on June 30, 2020, prior to the season restart in Orlando. Payne went on to become a key piece for Phoenix, averaging 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steal across eight appearances. Payne hit 48.5 percent of his field goals, including 51.7 percent of his 3.6 three-point attempts per game. In his season debut, Payne posted nine points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in a win over Washington. He had a season-high 15 points against Indiana on Aug. 6 -- a total he'd match in the season finale on Aug. 13 against Dallas. Prior to joining the Suns, Payne spent time in the Chinese Basketball Association, as well as in the G League.

Payne began the year with the Bulls, with whom he played in 31 games and picked up 12 starts. He averaged 17.3 minutes per contest with Chicago, notching 5.7 points and 2.7 assists per contest. The third-year man made 41.1 percent of his field goals and 88.0 percent of his free throws. He tallied a season-high 21 points -- all on three-pointers -- in a win over the Hornets on Oct. 24. In January, Payne was waived by the Bulls. He signed a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers a few days later, then signed a second 10-day deal with the Cavs after that one expired. Payne appeared in nine games with Cleveland, including one start. His minutes increased from his time with Chicago, as Payne played 19.6 minutes per night. Payne also attempted nearly one more three per-pointer game on average and made 36.0 percent of his shots from beyond the arc with the Cavs. Accordingly, his scoring output jumped to 8.2 points per contest.

Payne was limited to just 25 games (14 starts) in an injury-shortened 2017-2018 season in Chicago. A foot surgery in September delayed the start of his year until Feb. 22, and the Bulls eased him into action the rest of the season. Following 11 appearances off the bench, the Murray State product made his first start of the season on March 17. He then remained in the starting lineup through the end of the year. Payne still managed to set new career bests with 23.3 minutes and 8.8 points per game. In his 14 starts, he increased those rates to 26.5 minutes and 9.4 points per game. Payne's season-high in scoring was 17 points, a mark he reached twice. He dished out a season-high 10 assists against Cleveland in that March 17 game. That was also his only double-double of the season, as he scored 13 points in the contest. Payne grabbed a season-high eight rebounds against Houston on March 27.

After recovering from two successive fractures in his foot, Payne made his 2016-17 season debut on Jan. 7 against Denver, racking up eight points. He went on to average 5.3 points with 0.8 threes, 1.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.5 steals across 20 games for Oklahoma City before being traded to Chicago on Feb. 23 alongside Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow for Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a draft pick. He appeared in another 11 games for Chicago, averaging 4.9 points with 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Payne also spent some time in the D-League, playing a total of five games for the Oklahoma City Blue and Windy City Bulls; he averaged 18.4 points with 2.4 threes, 4.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists in that time. Back in the NBA, his best game for the Thunder came Feb. 9, when he notched 15 points against Cleveland. In his biggest game with the Bulls, he picked up 14 points Mar. 6 against Detroit. Payne also appeared in one playoff game for Chicago, hitting a three-pointer and collecting a rebound in 4:11 on the court.

After going 14th overall to the Thunder in the 2015 NBA Draft, Payne played in 51 games (one start) during the 2015-16 campaign. The rookie out of Murray State averaged 5.0 points, 0.6 threes, 1.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.6 steals across 12.2 minutes per contest. He scored in double digits 10 times. On Dec. 29, Payne scored 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting -- including 2-of-3 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line -- while adding three rebounds and an assist in just 15:44 during a win over Milwaukee. He went on to record a season-high 17 points with seven assists, three rebounds and a steal in his lone start Apr. 12 against San Antonio, the final game of the regular season. Payne also played in in two games for the D-League's Oklahoma City Blue, averaging 23.5 points with 3.0 threes, 3.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.0 steals. He returned to the NBA level in plenty of time to make 10 appearances during Oklahoma City's run to the Western Conference Finals, averaging 1.8 points across 6.4 minutes per game. He dished out five assists in Game 1 of the second round against the Spurs.