Pacers Signing Summer Standout Cole Swider To One-Year Deal

The Indiana Pacers intend to sign small forward Cole Swider to a one-year contract, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Swider, 25, is 6-foot-9 and appeared in 18 games for the Miami Heat last season, averaging 2.3 points and shooting 33.3% on 3-pointers. He spent most of his time in the G League after signing a two-way contract in October.

He then played for the Heat’s summer squad, offering a strong showing in Las Vegas last month. 

“Swider had an impressive Summer League for Heat, averaging 13.5 points and 49.1 percent 3-point shooting on nearly seven 3s attempted per game,” Charania wrote.

This will be the Pacers’ second signing in a week, as they also added second-round pick Tristen Newton on a two-way contract.

Along with Newton, the Pacers selected Spanish point guard Juan Nunez (No. 36) and ex-Akron forward Enrique Freeman (No. 50) in the draft.

Swider played seven games for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022-23 as a rookie. His deal with Indiana is reportedly non-guaranteed.

The Pacers are coming off a run to the Eastern Conference finals, where they were swept by the eventual-champion Boston Celtics.

In other news out of Indiana, in case you missed it, the Pacers last month signed center James Wiseman to add depth to the frontcourt. Wiseman was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and reportedly received a two-year deal.

Last season with the Detroit Pistons, Wiseman averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 63 games, shooting 61.3% from the field and 70.6% on free throws. He carries NBA career averages of 9.1 points and 5.6 boards.