Washington Wizards sign Xavier Silas, close on Damion James

The Washington Wizards are ramping up competition for their 15th and final roster spot.

With 14 players on the roster, the Wizards signed shooting guard Xavier Silas on Monday and are reportedly close to signing small forward Damion James.

Shams Charania of RealGM had the first report on the Silas signing:

Free agent guard Xavier Silas is finalizing a contract with the Washington Wizards, league sources tell RealGM.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 15, 2014

Silas was in camp with Washington last season, but was cut. The NBA resume for the Northern Illinois product is a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011-12, during which he scored 11 points and had four rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes over two games.

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Silas was injured during summer league play in 2012 when he was elbowed in the face by teammate Solomon Jones and sustained serious facial fractures that required surgery.

The 6-foot-5 Silas played last season in both Israel and Argentina after playing two seasons with the Maine Red Claws in the D-League.

James, a first-round pick by the Atlanta Hawks in 2010, played in five games last season for the San Antonio Spurs, starting one, and finishing with six points and 12 rebounds in 50 minutes.

According to Comcast Sports Net Washington, the Wizards are close to signing James.

He spent 27 games with Bakersfield and 14 with Texas in the D-League, averaging 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and one block in 32.9 minutes per game.

James was traded to the New Jersey Nets on draft night in 2010 and spent parts of three seasons with the Nets, playing a total of 34 games—25 of them as a rookie in 2010-11.

Originally signed to a 10-day contract with the Spurs, he signed for the remainder of the season on April 13, but did not appear in any playoff games.

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