Free agent swingman Rasual Butler has reached agreement on a non-guaranteed deal with the Washington Wizards, league source tells RealGM.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2014
Rasual Butler has signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Washington Wizards, according to Real GM’s Shams Charania. Butler played with the Indiana Pacers last season but was not expected to be re-signed considering that the team already has a full 15-man roster.
The loss for the Pacers won’t come in terms of production. Though Butler’s long-range shooting was a surprising boost in stretches last season (he hit 42.9% of the 62 treys he attempted in the regular season), the team didn’t get much out of him offensively.
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The team will, however, miss his veteran presence in the locker room. He was with the team for just one season, but became a voice of stability at times as the team fizzled late in the season. After Danny Granger left the team in a mid-season trade, Rasual Butler joined David West as the only Pacer with more than seven years of experience. As a trusted leader, he participated in small player meetings on multiple occasions to sort out the problems the team was having.
He also was able to step in to the rotation whenever needed, taking Evan Turner’s spot after the Sixer transplant proved ineffective. In each instance on the court — like the pro’s pro he is — he entered the game, knew his assignment, and did his job on both ends of the court.
Will the 35-year-old be able to do the same for the Wizards or is this just a preseason stint?
James Herbert of CBS Sports broke down Rasual Butler’s chance of sticking with the Wizards after training camp.
"While there are plenty of players signing non-guaranteed deals this time of year, the vast majority of them won’t last past training camp. Rasual Butler could be a different story, though. He wasn’t expected to make the Pacers last year after being out of the league in 2012-2013, but impressed the organization and earned the final roster spot. This is a similar situation, with the Wizards having one spot up for grabs.Washington could elect not to carry 15 players at the start of the season, but the team needs an additional body on the perimeter. Ideally that player will be able to knock down 3-pointers, since swingman Martell Webster is expected to miss significant time as he recovers from back surgery. Butler’s competition will be younger wing players Xavier Silas and Damion James, who also have nonguaranteed deals."
Best of luck, Rasual.
Even if Indiana was your last stop in the NBA, you’ll always have the memory of the Pacers cake you got for your 35th birthday.