Pacers agree with Rasual Butler
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
A team already deep on the perimeter just got a little deeper.
Veteran swingman Rasual Butler has agreed to a deal with the Indiana Pacers, he announced late Tuesday on his Twitter account.
Butler will sign a non-guaranteed contract, agent Joel Bell told RealGM.com. The contract is likely for the veteran’s minimum of $1.4 million. Butler will report to Indiana’s training camp later this month. It has been over a year since Butler played in the NBA.
“I think he’s got a chance to make the team there,” Bell told IndySportsLegends.com. He said Butler’s deal is for one year.
The Pacers picked up Butler for their summer league team in July and used him in all five games. Butler averaged 6.2 points in 13.8 minutes, including a 13-point showing against Utah.
He was drafted No. 53 overall in the 2002 NBA draft by Miami, and built a long career on his ability to space the floor. In 10 seasons, he has averaged 8.2 points and shot 35.8 percent on 3-pointers.
The 6-foot-7 Butler averaged 11.9 points in 82 games, including 64 starts, for the Clippers in 2009-10, his best season. Los Angeles cut him midway through the following year and Butler jumped to Chicago, where he played just six games.
He averaged 3.2 points in 34 games in 2011-12 in Toronto and was out of the league last season. The 34-year-old Butler is from Philadelphia and was a standout for La Salle.
Butler spent the bulk of his career with Miami and New Orleans. He kept busy last year in the D-League, making 60 3s and averaging 17.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 31 appearances for the Tulsa 66ers.
The addition of Butler gives the Pacers a 14-man roster. He will compete with Paul George, Danny Granger, Lance Stephenson, Chris Copeland, Solomon Hill and Orlando Johnson for a role among a crowded group of wings.
