Pacers officially add former Knicks guard Wesley Matthews

The Indiana Pacers announced Sunday they have signed free agent guard Wesley Matthews to a contract. Per team policy, the terms of the contract were not released.

Matthews appeared in 45 games and made 44 starts for the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks this season while averaging 12.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. After spending parts of four seasons with the Mavericks, he was traded to New York on Jan. 31 before being waived by the Knicks Thursday. “We’re excited to welcome Wesley to the Pacers,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard. “He’s a solid professional who we feel strongly will help us the remainder of the season and into the playoffs. When we looked at possible players to bring in, he fit in well with what we are trying to accomplish here on the court, in the locker room and off the court.”

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After going undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft, Matthews has averaged 13.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game and is a career 38.2 percent shooter from 3-point range over his 10 NBA seasons with Utah, Portland, Dallas and New York.

Matthews told reporters that he chose to sign the Pacers because he’s been assured a starting job with the team.

“That’s how I view myself, and that’s how this organization views me. That’s big right there,” he said, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Matthews, 32, will help fill the void left by All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who will miss the rest of this season with a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee.

Pacers coach Nate McMillan confirmed that Matthews will start. “He didn’t come here to sit on the bench,” McMillan told reporters, according to the Star. “That was part of it, being a starter. We felt we could bring him in as a starter.”

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