Lance Stephenson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Notes: Stephenson, Holiday, Evans, Hill

September 23rd, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lance Stephenson, who recently signed with the Pelicans, sat down with Justin Verrier of ESPN.com to discuss a number of topics, included how the swingman believes he has changed over the past few years. “When you come into the NBA as a youngster, you got babied all your life,” Stephenson said. “Everybody from when you were younger saying, ‘You’re gonna be in the NBA. You’re this and that.’ But once you get in the NBA, there are a lot of guys similar to you, so you have to learn how to do different things to keep developing. So you’ve got to put in the hard work and learn from other guys, see how they work out. Really, I feel like all the stuff I’ve been through has made me a better player. I feel like God puts you in situations to help you succeed in the long run.”

When asked why he chose to join New Orleans, Stephenson told Verrier, “I liked this team, and I see a couple young guys that I could potentially help and show all the other stuff that I learned from other places, from guys like Chris Paul, Paul George, Paul Pierce. Just teach them, and help them believe and show them the right way to work out there and what it takes to make it to the conference finals, and getting that work in every day.”

Here’s more from New Orleans:

Pelicans GM Dell Demps told Verrier (Twitter link) that there is no timetable for Jrue Holiday to return to the team, but he’ll be welcomed back with “open arms” when he does. The point guard has taken a leave of absence to help care for his ailing wife and their newborn child.
Demps confirmed to Verrier (via Twitter) that Tyreke Evans won’t be available to play until at least December. The exact timetable should become clearer within the next two-to-four weeks, Verrier adds. Evans is still recovering from the two surgeries on his right knee he underwent last season.
Evans isn’t the only ailing Pelican, with Quincy Pondexter also not likely to be available until December at the earliest, though, the forward could potentially be sidelined until January, journalist Guerry Smith tweets. Pondexter underwent cartilage replacement surgery on his left knee back in January.
Solomon Hill, who signed a four-year, $48MM deal with the Pelicans in July, understands more will be asked of him this season, writes Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate. “I wouldn’t say the actual role is so much different,” Hill said. “But the level where I need to be for this team is definitely different.”
Chris Copeland nearly joined the Pelicans three seasons ago, but he landed in Indiana instead, the forward told Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. The 32-year-old is excited that he is now in New Orleans after signing with the team this week, the scribe relays. “I’ve thought I was coming here a few times before this,” Copeland said. “For whatever reason, it didn’t pan out. I’m just glad it actually came full circle and I get the opportunity to try again this year. It’s a great city. I tell people time and time again, it has some of the best food in the world, and the atmosphere here is special.”

Lance Stephenson Gets $100K Guarantee From Pelicans

September 15th, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After earning a $9MM salary in each of his last two NBA seasons, Lance Stephenson will be taking a significant pay cut for the 2016/17 season. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, confirming that Stephenson received a minimum-salary contract from the Pelicans, reports (via Twitter) that only $100K of that total is guaranteed.

[RELATED: Pelicans Sign Lance Stephenson]

The Pelicans had gone over the salary cap earlier in the offseason, and had used most of their $2.898MM room exception on Tim Frazier, leaving only the minimum salary exception for Stephenson. A player with Stephenson’s NBA experience (six years) is entitled to a minimum salary of $1,227,286 this season, but the deal will only count for $980,431 against New Orleans’ cap, and the team will only be on the hook for $100,000 if Stephenson doesn’t make the regular-season roster.

With Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday not expected to be available to start the regular season, there’s a decent chance Stephenson will land a spot on the team to help provide depth in the Pelicans’ backcourt. Still, the team already has 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, and Stephenson’s modest guarantee suggests he’ll have a bit of an uphill battle to overtake one of those players — especially since there’s no obvious candidate to be waived.

As I noted last week, Terrence Jones and Alonzo Gee are the only players on New Orleans’ roster who are owed modest salaries for 2016/17 and have no guaranteed money on their deals beyond this season, so perhaps one of those players will be cut to make room for Stephenson. Both Jones and Gee signed new contracts with the Pelicans in July, meaning they can’t be traded until after December 15.

Pelicans Sign Lance Stephenson

September 14th, 2016 at 10:02am CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 14th: The signing is official, the team announced.

SEPTEMBER 9th: The Pelicans have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent Lance Stephenson, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). The length and terms of the arrangement were not relayed, but with New Orleans over the salary cap, it is likely for the league minimum.

New Orleans already has 15 fully guaranteed deals on the books, so Stephenson will need to impress the coaching staff if he hopes to remain on the roster through opening night. While he is certainly a talented player, his immaturity has derailed what was once a promising career. He’ll need to prove that he can gel with the other players in the locker room, and not just on the hardwood. The Pelicans’ roster situation is made more complicated because of Jrue Holiday, who is slated to miss an “indefinite” period of time during the regular season to take care of his wife and newborn child.

Stephenson, 26, appeared in a combined 69 games in 2015/16 split between the Clippers and Grizzlies. He averaged 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 19.9 minutes per outing. His slash line was .481/.385/.784.

Nets Notes: Stephenson, Ferrell, Mockevicius, Beech

September 4th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Nets GM Billy King turned down a trade proposal last season that would have brought Lance Stephenson to Brooklyn, according to NetsDaily.com. King, who lost the GM title in January in a shakeup that cost coach Lionel Hollins his job, nixed the deal, which would have sent Joe Johnson to Charlotte in exchange for Stephenson and other unidentified players. The trade had the approval of Dmitry Razumov, chairman of the Nets’ board of directors, and NetsDaily shares the story as a way of showing that King had final say on all personnel moves, including the disastrous deal with the Celtics that put Brooklyn in its current position. King, the columnist added, also rejected Razumov’s suggestion to pursue JaVale McGee.

There’s more news tonight out of Brooklyn:

Yogi Ferrell, Egidijus Mockevicius and Beau Beech will come into camp knowing that they’re likely headed to the Nets’ new D-League affiliate on Long Island, NetsDaily writes in the same piece. All three received “training camp invites,” which don’t become fully guaranteed unless the players remain on the roster until all contracts are guaranteed in early January. The author notes that roster spots could be hard to earn with Brooklyn having 15 players with fully guaranteed contracts, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Seven of those players have deals that either will expire or can expire after the upcoming season, so the Nets have flexibility if they decide to keep Ferrell, Mockevicius or Beech.
The Nets may pick up another player before camp with the intention of sending him to the D-League, NetsDaily adds. The rights of the last four players cut would automatically go to the Long Island affiliate if they aren’t claimed off waivers. Brooklyn currently has 18 players headed to camp, two shy of the NBA limit.

Eastern Notes: Mickey, Brown, Wall, Beal

August 31st, 2016 at 9:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Mickey‘s spot on the Celtics‘ roster seems safe even in a crowded training camp, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. With John Holland being waived today, Boston has 18 players on its roster, with 16 on fully guaranteed contracts. But the Celtics don’t seem likely to cut ties with Mickey after making a four-year commitment to him last offseason. After taking him in the second round of the 2015 draft, Boston gave Mickey a $5MM deal with a higher annual salary than first-round pick R.J. Hunter received. Mickey appeared in just 16 games for Boston as a rookie, spending most of the season with the team’s Maine affiliate in the D-League. He led the league in blocks with 4.4 per game and was a D-League All-Star. Blakely writes that the Celtics want to see more of Mickey at the NBA level before making a long-term decision.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

Celtics power forward Jaylen Brown was voted the most athletic rookie by his fellow Class of 2016 members, relays CSNNE. Brown, the third player taken in the June draft, topped an NBA.com poll with 38.7% of the votes, followed by the Clippers’ Brice Johnson with 16.1% and the Suns’ Marquese Chriss with 9.7%.
It’s healthy for John Wall and Bradley Beal to be open about their disagreements, contends Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. He believes the Wizards‘ backcourt tandem will improve their communication because they’re willing to speak publicly about the problem, which Bucher describes as both wanting to be the dominant personality on the team. Bucher doesn’t think there’s a need to trade either one because their skills are complementary.
The Knicks are gambling with their point guard position by bringing in two players with significant injury histories, writes Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. New York traded for Derrick Rose, whose 66 games last season were by far the most since tearing his ACL in the 2012 playoffs, and signed Brandon Jennings, who suffered an Achilles tear in January of 2014. Beer lists several unsigned players the Knicks should consider as insurance: Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Kirk Hinrich, Nate Robinson, Jordan Farmar, Andre Miller and Lance Stephenson.

Lance Stephenson To Work Out For Pelicans

August 29th, 2016 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent wing Lance Stephenson will work out for the Pelicans, reports Brett Dawson of The Advocate (via Twitter). It’s not yet clear when that workout will take place, or how serious New Orleans’ interest in Stephenson is.

The Pelicans still appear to monitoring the free agent market closely, despite having 15 players with guaranteed salaries on their roster. An earlier report indicated that the team was preparing to meet with Ty Lawson this week before the veteran point guard received – and accepted – a contract offer from the Kings.

Stephenson, who turns 26 next Monday, spent the first four years of his NBA career in Indiana, and enjoyed a breakout year for the Pacers in 2013/14, averaging 13.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 4.6 APG, while shooting .391/.352/.711. However, he has regressed over the last two years, failing to find an ideal role during stints with the Hornets, Clippers, and Grizzlies.

Stephenson’s end-of-season run in Memphis this past year was the best he had looked since his Indiana days, as he earned consistent minutes on an injury-plagued Grizzlies squad and averaged 14.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.8 APG. Still, he doesn’t appear to have received much NBA interest this summer, with one report this month suggesting he may end up playing overseas. Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, the author of that report, wrote that Stephenson has the talent to play in the NBA, but his personality may be scaring teams away.

The Pelicans currently have Langston Galloway, Buddy Hield, E’Twaun Moore, and Tyreke Evans on tap to earn minutes at the two, while Solomon Hill, Alonzo Gee, and Quincy Pondexter are expected to be in the mix at the three. Of course, many of those players are capable of playing other positions or may not see a ton of playing time, so there still could be room on the wing for Stephenson.

Eastern Notes: Stephenson, Pistons, Knicks

August 28th, 2016 at 4:46pm CST by Will Joseph

The Nets and unrestricted free agent Lance Stephenson have nothing going on, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Mazzeo’s report squashes the rumors that suggested Stephenson was joining Brooklyn. Stephenson, a New York native, had made a post on Instagram with the caption, “Dreams come true,” which ignited the rumors.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Reggie Jackson likes the moves the Pistons made this summer, which includes drafting power forward Henry Ellenson and signing Ish Smith, Jon Leuer and Boban Marjanovic, and expressed confidence that Detriot will make a deep playoff run, Brian Manzullo of the Detroit Free Press relays. “I don’t believe there necessarily is a ceiling,” Jackson said. “We can go as far as we want. But it’s really going to come from internal growth as a team. Not just in skills but mentally, as well, and being ready for the burden of the season.”
Lance Thomas, whom the Knicks re-signed to a four-year deal in July, applauded the hiring of Jeff Hornacek as coach because the coach wants to win and wasn’t interested in just landing a job, Kristian Winfield of Elite Sports NY writes.

And-Ones: Jones, Buycks, Stephenson

August 7th, 2016 at 12:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Perry Jones III has agreed to play in Russia this upcoming season with Khimki Moscow, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter link). Jones spent last season with the Iowa Energy of the D-League after being waived by the Boston Celtics. He was selected by the Thunder with the 28th overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Here’s more from around the league:

Dwight Buycks will play in China for Fujian Quanzhou, Pick reports in a separate tweet. Buycks played for the team last season before coming stateside to join the Oklahoma City Blue of the D-League.
Lance Stephenson may have to look overseas if he wants to play next season, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Washburn contends that Stephenson has the talent to play in the NBA, however, his personality may be scaring teams away.
Stephenson made a bet on himself back in 2014 when he bypassed a five-year, $44MM deal from the Pacers in favor of a shorter deal with the Hornets. Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders revisits the shooting guard’s decision and examines the decisions of other players whom have taken shorter deals with the hope of cashing in on a big payday only to be disappointed by what the market offers.

Eastern Notes: George, Stephenson, Andrews

August 2nd, 2016 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers swingman Paul George is excited about the team’s offseason additions and views next season as one that Indiana will use to vault back into championship contention, Michael Singer of USA Today relays. “I think Al Jefferson is as good as it gets in terms of low-post scorers,” George said. “Thaddeus Young has been very underrated, been forgotten about being in Brooklyn.”

George, who chose to participate in this summer’s Olympic games despite suffering a horrific leg injury two years ago during a Team USA scrimmage, discussed his mindset now, telling Singer, “Being away from the game you cherish it a whole lot more. It’s a reality that one day this thing could be all over. So stepping on that court, it’s refreshing. I found a whole new love that I didn’t think I could find in basketball.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Hornets have invited undrafted free agent Andrew Andrews to attend training camp with the team, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops reports (via Twitter). The point guard appeared in 34 games for the Washington Huskies last season, averaging 20.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 33.8 minutes per outing.
While Lance Stephenson may be a fit with the Heat if he were willing to come off the bench, the team’s roster crunch (18 players currently under contract) would likely prevent the swingman from viewing Miami as a desirable landing spot for next season if the team were interested in him, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel opines in his latest “Ask Ira” column.
Bobby Marks of The Vertical took a look at back an active offseason for the Hawks that saw the departures of longtime players Jeff Teague and Al Horford, plus the arrival of Dwight Howard via free agency.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Cavs, Stephenson

July 31st, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Despite signing Rajon Rondo, who is 30, and Dwyane Wade, who will turn 35 in January, the Bulls did actually get younger this summer, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune details. Chicago will enter training camp with 10 players 25 or younger, compared with five last season, as Johnson points out. Wade’s presence should particularly help the maturation of Jimmy Butler, Johnson writes. Both Wade and Rondo have said the Bulls are Butler’s to lead.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Pacers do not appear close to re-signing unrestricted free agent Lance Stephenson, per Mark Montieth of NBA.com, who echoes earlier reports. The Pacers were looking for a point guard to fill their final roster spot and Aaron Brooks fit their needs better than another wing player like Stephenson, Montieth writes in a mailbag response.
Kay Felder impressed during the summer league and his emergence makes him one of the more intriguing rookies to watch this season, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. With Matthew Dellavedova no longer on the Cavs, Felder, who is a 5’9″ point guard, has a decent shot at a backup role, Washburn adds. Felder’s size, however, does put him at a disadvantage, but, as Washburn points out, the Cavs thought highly enough of him to pay $2.4MM for his rights.