Lance Stephenson‘s fall from grace has been a precipitous one. It all started when he inked what at the time was considered a rather large contract (but seems rather quaint now by today’s standards) with the Charlotte Hornets in 2014 and the out-sized expectations that accompanied it. Things did not go well, and the team traded him to the Clippers the following summer.
Since then, he’s bounced around to the Grizzlies, Pelicans, and Timberwolves, and for a while there, it looked like he might’ve punched his ticket out of the NBA altogether. But the franchise where he spent the best years of career is apparently bringing him back into the fold on a long-term contract.
The Pacers have signed Lance Stephenson for 3 years, third with a Player Option, source tells ZAGSBLOG. pic.twitter.com/1ypSEgm5Se
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 29, 2017
Indiana Pacers, Lance Stephenson agree to 3-year, $12 million deal, league sources tell ESPN. First two guaranteed. Team option on third.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 29, 2017
It seems a bit odd that Indiana would sign him on for two guaranteed seasons given his rocky play the past couple of years, but maybe they know something we don’t.
The Pacers are currently in a three-way heat for the No. 5 seed in the East playoff picture, and they’re obviously hoping Stephenson can still show glimpses of the defensive specialist he once was back when he was blowing in LeBron’s ear and just being a general nuisance to all of his opponents.
Either way, the Eastern Conference playoffs just got exponentially more entertaining with the addition of one of the most maddening and delightful players the league has ever seen.
