Former Indiana Pacers shooting guard Lance Stephenson has opted to explore free agency after reportedly having been upset with the Pacers' five-year $44 million offer. Sources say the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are now pursuing the free agent.
Stephenson is in his fourth year in the NBA and last season he averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, which were all career-highs. Last week, Larry Bird, the Pacers President of Basketball Operations, offered Stephenson a fairly generous contract for a player of his caliber, but the shooting guard believes he is worth more than that. He will now see what other teams have to offer.
According to ESPN insider Chris Broussard, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are inquiring about Stephenson's services, but he is of secondary importance when it comes to their free agent priorities. They're both attempting to land either LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony, but all that is clear right now is that Anthony is deciding between Los Angeles and New York, and he has yet to formally notify Dallas that he is not interested, while LeBron James has revealed no preference in his search.
Although Stephenson wishes to remain a Pacer, circumstances may change within the next few days. The best-case-scenario for Stephenson would be if Carmelo Anthony chose to return to the New York Knicks because then the Lakers and Mavericks would potentially put the former Pacer on atop their radar as LeBron James' decision is looming in the dark. The Lakers have sufficient salary cap space to give Stephenson the money he wants and the Mavericks are in desperate need of a rebounding guard after ranking in the bottom of the league for the category.
The Pacers' decision to not pay Stephenson more is likely because of two reasons: they are paying Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and David West all in excess of $12 million over (at least) the next two years, and they most likely don't see Stephenson as anything more than a productive role player. Despite leading the league in triple-doubles last year with five, Stephenson has so much talent surrounding him that it's easier for him to excel in his matchups. Although such an instance has yet to be seen in which Stephenson is surrounded by another cast of teammates, Larry Bird is offering Stephenson all he can and reportedly will not increase the offer as of now.
If these two teams, as well as the Charlotte Hornets (who also reported interest in Stephenson), sign their desired players, then the demand for Stephenson will go down. And if he desires to return to the Pacers on the five-year contract, no one is sure if Larry Bird will keep the offer on the table.
You can read more about Lance Stephenson's free agency in this ESPN article.
