Payne faced a series of injuries that would lead him to bouncing around the league and eventually to China.
The foot issue would be the start of a string of injuries. He fractured the same foot again during a scrimmage in training camp. After recovering, his time would be split between the Thunder and their G-League affiliate (Oklahoma City Blue). He was ultimately traded to the Chicago Bulls after just 20 further games. Bouncing back and forth between the G League and the NBA, Payne would only appear in 12 games for the Bulls that season.
He was ruled out once again with a right foot injury in September 2017, before the season even started. Starting to build a reputation as “injury prone”, and no longer perceived as a young talent with untapped potential, he found himself with a diminished role. By January 2019 and after only 67 appearances with the Bulls, he was waived.
Three days later he signed a series of ten-day contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers. This time was short-lived, a poor sign given Cleveland were one of the worst teams in the league. With his NBA hopes hanging by a thread, he would sign a contract with the Toronto Raptors on July 25 only to be waived before the start of the regular season.
This is where most people would have put their heads down and given up. Approaching his prime yet being cast aside like an old glove, Payne did just the opposite. He rolled his sleeves up, and bet on himself in a way that would pay huge dividends. Taking a humble route, he signed with the Shanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association.
The cultural experience lasted only two games, as Payne was released in January 2020. It was enough to show NBA scouts though, that he was on a different level than the competition he was facing overseas. Not even a month later, he was signed by the Texas Legends and went on to win G League player of the week. He played 15 games for the Legends and averaged 23.3 points, 7.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and just under one block per game.
Then Covid happened. Basketball was canceled and with it, any hopes Payne had of an NBA comeback in the near future. It would literally take a miracle, and a miracle is what he got. The NBA was losing money at a record pace, exploring every option before eventually investing 190 million dollars to basically rent Walt Disney World in Florida. Teams were given extra roster spots to help alleviate the pain of players being out due to covid, with each and every playing have to follow strict health guidelines.