Going the European route to find a value contract and to fill a position of need, the Indiana Pacers have agreed to sign Croatian forward Damjan Rudez to a three-year deal, reports Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski.
Pacers sign Croatian stretch power forward Damjan Rudez
The Indiana Pacers will use a bit of their mid-level exception to sign the talented shooter.
Jonathan Daniel
Rudez, a 27-year-old stretch power forward, shot 44 percent from three-point range in the ACB league in Spain last season. He also hit 52 percent of his threes in the 2013 EuroBasket tournament while playing for his native Croatia.
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Considering the market price on stretch big men such as Spencer Hawes and Channing Frye, Rudez could be a solid value signing for Indiana. According to Wojnarowski, Rudez is expected to receive a portion of the Pacers' annual allowed mid-level exception but a smaller chunk of it than free agent swingman C.J. Miles could receive, if he reaches an agreement with the team as expected.
The Pacers hope Rudez becomes a capable role player that might usurp the minutes of backup forward Luis Scola but bring the shooting expected of Chris Copeland. Scola might need to be moved to open cap space, and his defense was often a weak point for the Pacers' bench. Copeland signed with Indiana last summer looking to be a shooter at either forward spot but never got situated in the rotation.
The Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers were all interested in bringing Rudez over from Spain this season. Cleveland worked out Rudez and even appeared close to signing him in June.
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