PACERS

Pacers sign Damien Wilkins to one-year deal

Andy Brown and Nate Taylor

IndyStar

Bryon Houlgrave, The Register
Iowa Energy?s Damien Wilkins moves the ball up court against Rio Grande Valley at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Dec. 23, 2014. ?I haven?t spent many Christmases with and around my family,? Wilkins says of how the holidays clash with a pro hoops career.
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register
“I haven’t spent many Christmases with and around my family,” said the Iowa Energy’s Damien Wilkins of how the holidays clash with a pro hoops career. Iowa's Damien Wilkins moves the ball up court against Rio Grande Valley at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed veteran minimum deal for close to $2 million with small forward and shooting guard Damien Wilkins, a league source confirmed to IndyStar.

Wilkins, a nine-year NBA veteran, started his career with the Seattle SuperSonics in 2004-05, where he played four seasons before moving with the team for its first season in Oklahoma City. He played for the Timberwolves, Hawks and Pistons over the next three seasons before landing with the 76ers in 2012-13, the last time he was on an NBA roster. He played in 61 games, averaging 6.4 points in 18.0 minutes that year. Since then, he has bounced around from China to Puerto Rico to the NBA G-League to Mexico and back to the G-League last year, for the Greensboro Swarm.

The 37-year-old Georgia product averaged 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season in Greensboro, playing 31.5 minutes a game.

He joins a fairly crowded group of swingmen on the Pacers roster in Lance Stephenson, Victor Oladipo, Bojan Bogdanovic and Glenn Robinson III. It remains to be seen how exactly the Pacers will use Wilkins, but it's safe to say he will be coming off the bench.