CLEVELAND - Veteran guard David Wesley signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, a deal that could lead to more backcourt maneuvering as the team tries to build off its playoff run last season.
Wesley averaged 9.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 71 games — 59 starts — for the Houston Rockets last season.
Terms of the contract were not immediately available.
"David adds a wealth of experience and professionalism to our team," Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said. "His defense, shooting and toughness will add to areas that we want to continue to grow this year."
Wesley's addition temporarily gives the Cavaliers more guards than they have room for on their roster. He joins Eric Snow, Damon Jones, Larry Hughes, rookies Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson, Stephen Graham and Eddie Basden. The club also has swingmen Sasha Pavlovic, Luke Jackson and Ira Newble.
Snow and Jones are the only returning "true" point guards, but each of them has flaws that could make them expendable.
Snow is the team's best defensive guard and a leader, but he averaged just 4.8 points during the regular season and made one 3-pointer. Jones, who signed a four-year, $16 million free agent deal before last season, is Cleveland's best 3-point shooting threat but is a defensive liability.
Wesley's scoring average last season marked the first time since his second year in the NBA that he didn't average double digits. But he made 99 of 271 3-pointers, and is ranked ninth among active players in made 3-pointers.
After playing at Baylor, Wesley wasn't drafted and played one season in the CBA before he was signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Nets in 1993. He and Moses Malone are the only undrafted players in league history to score over 11,000 points.
Wesley also played for Boston, Charlotte and New Orleans, which traded him to the Rockets in 2004 for Jim Jackson and Bostjan Nachbar. He averaged 17.2 points for the Hornets in 2000-01.
One of the league's smaller point guards, the 6-foot-1 Wesley has played in 55 career playoff games, making 52 starts. He missed 11 games last season with a cracked rib.
