After landing LeBron James, the Lakers have made several moves to fill out their roster with cheap contracts. Lance Stephenson has agreed to a one-year deal with Los Angele–wait, what?
You heard correctly. According to ESPN‘s Chris Haynes, the Lance Stephenson has agreed to sign a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Free agency is a weird time on the basketball calendar. Ludicrous deals are often handed out, while media and fans alike are left wondering how actual NBA front offices can come to their decisions.
Day one of the 2018 NBA free agency period was one for the ages, an epic day of player transactions that ended with some eyebrow-raising additions to the team that has unequivocally won the day: the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Stephenson news unsurprisingly lit up social media, as tweets came rolled in about the unexpected Lebron-Lance union.
HoopsHype‘s Alex Kennedy managed to summarize the surprising sequence of events for the Lakers.
If you would've told me that the Lakers' next two additions after landing LeBron James would be Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee, I would've said you're crazy. But here we are...
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 2, 2018
Sports Illustrated‘s Charlotte Wilder, gave her take on how the conversation may have gone between LeBron and Magic Johnson.
LeBron: "I just don't know how I feel about leaving J.R., to be honest"
— Charlotte Wilder (@TheWilderThings) July 2, 2018
Magic: "Yeah no I totally get that, let me see what I can do"
*Takes out phone, texts Lance Stephenson*
"U up?"
Any way you shake it, it’s an amusing coming together for two guys that have one of the strangest basketball rivalries of recent times.
Can't wait to see the Bron and Lance pre-game handshake. 😂
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) July 2, 2018
For Stephenson, purely from a basketball perspective, it’s an obvious no-brainer, as he now joins the best basketball player of this era in a major market. After Indiana declined Stephenson’s option for next season, he now picks up a virtually identical deal in L.A. According to Sportrac, the new deal will see Stephenson pocket approximately $113,000 extra for this coming season.
On the court, Stephenson’s output remains as erratic as ever, able to change the momentum of a game in either direction off the back of his own play.
Averaging 9.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last season, he can still fill the box score up on any given night. A ball-handler and scrappy (elite at times) defender, Lance still has the ability to score in bunches.
Stephenson reached double-digits 34 times last season for the Pacers, his best statistical performance coming against the Washington Wizards on March 17, when he poured in 25 points to go with five rebounds and five assists in just 28 minutes.
ESPN‘s Bobby Marks outlines the salary cap ramifications for the Stephenson signing in the tweet below.
The $4.4M contract for Lance Stephenson is for the room midlevel exception. The Lakers only have the minimum exception unless they renounce Julius Randle.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 2, 2018
With Kawhi Leonard still firmly in the Lakers’ sights, the roster is without question still a work in progress. The addition of Stephenson was certainly unexpected and on the surface doesn’t appear to be an actual needle-mover. But if nothing else, he’ll provide a spark from time to time, and if you surround LeBron with guys that can get hot, its a safe bet that LeBron will ensure that happens with some regularity.
The deal is fine – though the real value may come in the form of entertainment when the season tips off in October and LeBron and Lance have officially joined forces.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Grade: B-