The Indiana Pacers have secured another shooter to come off its bench. The team came to an agreement with guard C.J. Miles Wednesday afternoon.
Miles, a 27-year-old lefty, confirmed the news with the following post on Instagram: “Blessed and Excited to get to work #PacerNation#PhotoShopIsAmazing #StayStrapped”
Pacers officials had a face-to-face meeting with him over dinner Tuesday night in Indy. Following his special evening, he tweeted the following: “It was an unbelievable experience to sit down with one of the greatest players to ever play this game I love .. The legend himself #Blessed”
The terms call for Miles to receive $18 million over four years, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski.
Deals cannot be made official until July 10th.
Miles, a 6-foot-6, 231-pound shooting guard, helps fill Evan Turner’s role as the first guard off the bench. Last season, his second in Cleveland, he averaged 9.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He shot 43.5 percent, including 39.3 percent from deep.
Pacers guard Donald Sloan, who spent part of the 2012-13 season (20 games) with the Cavaliers, said Miles was a guy he quickly bonded with.
“He’s a Dallas guy,” Sloan told VigilantSports.com on Wednesday. “One of the guys that I really grew to when we were both in Cleveland, for the short time that I was there.”
Asked whether the two have talked since Miles arrived in Indy Tuesday for dinner with team executives, Sloan said they had not.
“My focus is here (with camp) right now,” he said. “If he is still here, I’ll probably catch up with him over lunch or something.”
So, what kind of influence is Miles in the locker room?
“He’s a good guy,” Sloan explained. “It’s funny because he’s so young but yet he acts as if he’s like (Jerry) Stackhouse. He has that swagger about himself that he’s an older vet but he’s still a young guy. He’s a year older than me. He has a great personality.”
Pacers fans may remember what Miles did to their team on 12/12/2012. While with the Cavs, he nailed 6-of-9 3-pointers and finished with 28 points. The Pacers still came out on top by 15.
Miles’ on-court earnings over his nine-year career is a little more than $21 million, including $2.225 million last season.
Earlier Wednesday, the Pacers reach an agreement with Croatian sharpshooter Damjan Rudez, and announced the signing of undrafted free agent Shayne Whittington.
Watch highlights of Miles below: