New Orleans Pelicans To Work Out Lance Stephenson

The New Orleans Pelicans are going to be holding a workout for Lance Stephenson. Would he be a good addition for the team next season?

The New Orleans Pelicans had a relatively quiet offseason. They have a solid core group of players to build around, starting with superstar Anthony Davis. Along with Davis, they have talented players such as Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans as running mates.

With a lot of money tied up into those players, as well as Omer Asik, the Pelicans didn’t have the money to sign big-name players. Instead, they settled for role players, such as Solomon Hill, Langston Galloway, Terrence Jones, and E’Twaun Moore.

They also retained Tim Frazier and Alonzo Gee, while selecting Buddy Hield and Cheick Diallo in the 2016 NBA Draft.

By looking at the signings, it was clear the Pelicans wanted to add some talent and depth in the backcourt and wings. Despite all of those signings, it does not look like the Pelicans are done adding talent.

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According to Brett Dawson of The Advocate, the Pelicans are set to work out free agent shooting guard/small forward Lance Stephenson.

While Stephenson will work out for the Pelicans, there is no word on when that workout will be. The interest level of the Pelicans signing Stephenson is also unknown at this time. It wouldn’t be crazy to think that their interest has increased in recent days, though.

The Pelicans were one of the teams that were prepared to meet with free agent Ty Lawson. But, Lawson is no longer a free agent. He signed a deal with the Sacramento Kings over the weekend, agreeing to a contract before the Pelicans could meet with him.

As a result, the Pelicans could turn up the effort on bringing in Stephenson.

With the known interest in Lawson and the workout set up for Stephenson, it gives a clear message that the Pelicans still wish to upgrade on the wing. While Stephenson is a volatile player, he could still help a team if put in the right situation.

Stephenson, who will be only 26 years old on Sept. 5, has experienced some highs and lows already in his career. He had a breakout season with the Indiana Pacers in 2013-14, stuffing the stat sheet.

He averaged 13.8 points on a 49.1/35.2/71.1 shooting line (shooting percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage), 7.2 rebounds,  and 4.6 assists in 35.3 minutes per game.

Stephenson carried that production over to the playoffs and parlayed it into a big free-agent deal. The Charlotte Hornets would sign Stephenson to a three-year, $27 million deal and immediately regret it.

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Stephenson was never able to find his way with the Hornets, putting together a horrific 2014-15 season. The Hornets would trade Stephenson to the Los Angeles Clippers after one season, but continued to regress.

Just like his time with the Hornets, Stephenson was unable to find a niche with the Clippers. While he wasn’t as inefficient with the Clippers as the Hornets, things were a far cry from what he was doing with the Pacers just two seasons earlier.

Not liking the fit, the Clippers shipped Stephenson to the Memphis Grizzlies at the trade deadline, wanting to part with him so badly that they added a future first-round pick with him.

The Grizzlies were plagued by injuries, forcing Stephenson into playing time, and he made the most of his chance.

Despite having his player option declined after the season, Stephenson put some solid play on tape with the Grizzlies. He averaged 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as he fit into the grit-and-grind mantra the Grizzlies have lived by in recent seasons.

Despite the solid play, Stephenson has met a cold market this offseason. Talent has never been the problem for Stephenson, instead, it has been his personality that rubs organizations the wrong way according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

Washburn also suggested that Stephenson could wind up playing overseas this season.

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That could be the course of action of the workout does not go well with the Pelicans. Despite his age, Stephenson is looking for his fourth team to play for in only three seasons, which is never a good sign.

The Pelicans wouldn’t be an ideal landing spot for Stephenson, as they added a ton of talent at shooting guard and small forward. Hill, Galloway, Hield and Moore will be given playing time as the Pelicans poured a ton of resources into them.

But, Stephenson’s skill set could get him some run. He is a capable playmaker and has shown an ability to be a good defender. He has position versatility, which will help him get on the court as well.

The players the Pelicans have also are not pillars of durability, as Holiday hasn’t played more than 65 games with the team and Evans played in only 25 games last season.

The Pelicans have done a solid job building depth behind them in case they get injured again, and part of that depth could include Stephenson.

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If he does not land a deal with the Pelicans, he may have to head overseas to continue playing and put some more tape together for NBA teams to evaluate.