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Pacers Bring Back Their Prodigal Son Lance Stephenson
The Indiana Pacers got bitten by the injury bug. Al Jefferson, Glenn Robinson III and Rodney Stuckey all went down with injuries. This is the worst possible timing, as the Pacers are still fighting for a playoff spot.
To be able to make moves, the Pacers waived Rodney Stuckey last night and reportedly aren’t wasting time to fill up that open roster spot, in signing their prodigal son, Lance Stephenson.
OFFICIAL: The #Pacers have waived guard Rodney Stuckey.
Story ➡️ https://t.co/l6O0k6lMWU pic.twitter.com/sqtH0dAFcI— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 29, 2017
The Pacers and Stephenson have agreed to a three-year, $12 million deal, with the first two years being guaranteed, while the thirs is a team-option only. The length of the contract is somewhat surprising, as other teams were only looking to give Stephenson a 10-day contract.
The Pacers are working on a deal to bring back Lance Stephenson, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 29, 2017
Stephenson was drafted 40th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2010 NBA Draft and stayed with the team until 2014. He improved every year and became a key player for the contending Pacers, who lost the Conference Finals against the Heat two years in a row. In 2013-2014, Stephenson completed the regular season with a league-high five triple-doubles (incredible what kind of show Westbrook and Harden are putting on this year) and finished second in the NBA Most Improved Player Award rankings.
Stephenson’s first stint in Indiana didn’t end well, and his career fell off a huge cliff after he left Indiana. Maybe he can revive his career back where it all started.
Oh, and as of today, Lance Stephenson and the Pacers would face LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs – bringing up good memories.
