The Indiana Pacers have signed Lance Stephenson to a three-year deal worth $12 million, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes. The contract is guaranteed for the first two years with a team option on the third. He is eligible to appear in the playoffs should Indiana retain its standing in the Eastern Conference.
Lance Stephenson agrees to 3-year deal to rejoin the Pacers, per report
Stephenson enjoyed the heyday of his career in Indiana years ago.
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
The move comes the moments after the Pacers waived guard Rodney Stuckey to create roster space.
Stephenson last signed two 10-day contracts with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Minnesota chose to go in a different direction and allow the combo guard to become a free agent, per ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes. He averaged 3.5 points through six games with the T’Wolves.
He can join a playoff roster because his contract expired and he was not waived.
Stephenson began this season with the New Orleans Pelicans, but he was waived after a groin injury costed him significant time on the floor. He averaged just under 10 points and five assists through the six games preceding his injury.
The reunion has been a long time coming
After failing to add talent around star forward Paul George at the trade deadline, the Pacers are going with a blast from the past.
Stephenson lost much of the mojo that garnered him national attention when he left Indiana for Charlotte. The 26-year-old combo guard from Brooklyn enjoyed the heights of his playing career as a dynamic sixth man who excelled in pick-and-roll situations off the bench for the Pacers.
Stephenson was a deft ball-handler and capable playmaker for the dominant Pacers teams between 2012 and 2014. He averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists for an Indiana team that finished with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
He signed with the Charlotte Hornets the following year, however, and his career tailspun shortly thereafter.
Stephenson made a pit stop with the Los Angeles Clippers, then briefly revived his career in Memphis, averaging 14 points for a depleted Grizzlies team. But Memphis declined to re-sign him, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
See More:
