The Indiana Pacers rented out a movie theater to present free agent Lance Stephenson and his family with a movie about his life. The offer they later put on the table might have made that effort to re-sign the talented shooting guard all for naught. ESPN's Chris Broussard reports that Stephenson is far from signing with the Pacers, who offered him a five-year, $44 million contract.
NBA free agency roundup: Lance Stephenson and Pacers far apart on deal
The Pacers’ offer to Lance Stephenson wasn’t received all that well, and sharp-shooting big man Spencer Hawes has a budding market.
Mike Ehrmann
Stephenson doesn’t necessarily want to take the most lucrative deal and is hoping to join a contender or up-and-coming club, a source told Broussard. But the market likely could lean toward Stephenson being right about his value.
The Lakers, Bulls and Hornets are interested in Stephenson, Broussard reports. Los Angeles has the cap space to spend but not the impressive roster to sell. Chicago, a playoff contender, is more limited financially but could turn to Stephenson if the Carmelo Anthony pursuit doesn't go its way. And Charlotte finds itself somewhere in the middle.
The Pacers and Stephenson may be at an "impasse" over the deal, but Indiana has little room to budge from their offer considering the payroll that has them shelling out a bit of money to Paul George, Roy Hibbert, David West and even George Hill.
Market for shooting big men is TBD
Cleveland Cavaliers center Spencer Hawes is receiving a good deal of interest because of his shooting and passing talents. The Portland Trail Blazers are one team that has him on their radar -- and vice versa, reports The Oregonian's Joe Freeman.
Hawes has also met with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers but could be a fan of returning to the Pacific Northwest, where he grew up. The Warriors are now out of the running for Hawes after spending their mid-level exception on guard Shaun Livingston and hard-capping themselves by doing so.
Portland likes the idea of teaming defensive-minded center Robin Lopez and scoring artist LaMarcus Aldridge with a big man who can shoot, and general manager Neil Olshey has the mid-level exception to use. If Hawes returns to Cleveland or goes elsewhere, the Blazers could also turn to Charlotte free agent Josh McRoberts. They share mutual interest with McRoberts, according to CSN Northwest's Chris Haynes, and also like his ability to stretch the floor.
Haynes added that Portland has not contacted Phoenix Suns power forward Channing Frye, who enjoys Portland in the offseason and was named by point guard Damian Lillard on his short-list of wanted teammates. The Suns are working on re-signing Frye, who opted out looking for a longer deal.
Thomas gets call from Mavs
The Detroit Pistons reportedly offered Sacramento Kings free agent Isaiah Thomas a three-year, $24 million deal once free agency opened. That was bold, but it might not be good enough. Thomas has interest coming from the Boston Celtics as well, but an interesting rumor popped up on Tuesday night.
Thomas got a call from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, according to Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears.
It makes sense. Dallas is going hard at Carmelo Anthony and its acquisition of center Tyson Chandler via a trade with the Knicks said it all about the Mavs' attempts to put together a title contender. But in the trade, the Mavs had to give up a solid point guard in Jose Calderon. Thomas is not much like Calderon, but he would fill a major hole for Dallas, which took Raymond Felton back in the trade with New York and doesn't have much for a starting guard at this point.
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