East Rutherford, NJ, Aug. 12 -- The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent guard Ron Mercer, Nets CEO Rod Thorn announced today. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not released.
Ron will fill our opening at the two guard position, said Thorn. He is a proven NBA scorer who will be a welcome addition to our roster.
The 67 Mercer joins his seventh NBA team, having previously played for Boston, Denver, Orlando, Chicago, Indiana and San Antonio. A seven-year NBA veteran, Mercer posts career marks of 13.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 2.2 apg in 414 career games, while shooting 43% from the field.
Drafted by Boston with the sixth overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, Mercer went on to win NBA All-Rookie First Team honors in his first season. After two seasons with the Celtics, Mercer was dealt to Denver in a six-player trade on August 3, 1999. Mercer split the 1999-00 season between Denver and Orlando after being traded midseason.
Prior to the 2000-01 season, Mercer signed with the Chicago Bulls, where he played one and a half seasons before being traded to Indiana during the 2001-02 campaign. Mercer continued to play in Indiana through the 2002-03 season and was then traded to San Antonio for the 2003-04 season. In 39 games for the Spurs last season, Mercer averaged 5.0 ppg in 13.2 mpg.
Mercer helped Indiana reach the playoffs in each of his two seasons with the Pacers. In 11 playoff games with Indiana, Mercer averaged 7.1 ppg and 2.1 rpg. In the 2002 First Round series vs. New Jersey, Mercer averaged 7.8 ppg while shooting 50% from the field in five games.