Well-traveled young forward Cole Swider has found his next NBA home, following a productive 2024 Summer League run with the Miami Heat.
According to The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania, the free agent wing is inking a one-season contract with the Indiana Pacers, which will be non-guaranteed.
On Miami’s Summer League squad, Swider averaged 13.5 points per game, while connecting on 49.1 percent of his triple tries, per Charania. He attempted to connect on a robust seven treys a night.
The 6-foot-9 Swider, a 25-year-old small forward out of Syracuse, went undrafted in 2022. He initially inked a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers but failed to make much of an impression on that Western Conference Finals-bound squad.
Swider averaged just 1.3 points on 33.3 percent shooting from the floor and 37.5 percent shooting from long range, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in just seven games, averaging a scant 5.9 minutes per bout. He put up more impressive stats on the Lakers’ NBAGL affiliate club in El Segundo, the South Bay Lakers. In 29 regular season games for South Bay (17 starts), Swider posted averages of 17.1 points on .506/.436/.838 shooting splits, 4.8 rebounds 1.8 assists, and 0.8 steals, during 29.0 minutes.
Following his rookie season with Los Angeles, Swider linked up with the Miami Heat, then fresh off an NBA Finals berth and known for its player development, on another two-way deal.
With the Heat, Swider averaged 2.3 points on .395/.333/1.000 shooting splits and 0.4 rebounds across 18 games with Miami, averaging 4.8 minutes per. While playing 14 regular season games (all starts) for Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Swider averaged 24.9 points while slashing .519/.500/.813, 8.4 boards, 31. assists 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks a night in 39.4 minutes per game.
Swider now joins an Indiana Pacers team looking to improve on its surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals as a 49-33 No. 6 seed last year. Indiana has had a relatively quiet offseason thus far.
The Pacers re-signed two-time All-Star power forward Pascal Siakam to a lucrative four-year, $188.95 million deal, signed standout guard Andrew Nembhard to a three-season, $59 million contract extension and replaced departed reserve big man Jalen Smith with former lottery pick James Wiseman. Otherwise, it appears the team is hoping for internal development to help guide it to another deep playoff run next spring.
The Pacers also added three intriguing second round picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, trading for the draft rights to Big 12 All-Freshman Team Kansas guard Johnny Furphy with the No. 35 pick, selecting All-American two-time University of Connecticut Huskies NCAA champion guard Tristen Newton with the No. 49 pick, and following that up by taking MAC Player of the Year Akron forward Enrique Freeman with the No. 50 pick.
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