Memphis Grizzlies guard Lance Stephenson (Photo : Getty Images)
Free agent guard Lance Stephenson is reportedly keen on coming back to his original team in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers, and the club is said to be considering to sign him again.
Slam Online reported that the 25-year-old wingman and the Pacers are currently "negotiating a multi-year deal", which would bring back Stephenson to the team that drafted him 40th overall way back in 2010.
Stephenson played his first four seasons in the league in Indiana and had worked his way to become a key starter of team president Larry Bird's crew, particularly during his final year with the squad when they lost to the Miami Heat, 4-2, in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals.
He averaged a career playoff-high 13.6 points and 4.2 assists during that time along with 6.9 rebounds in 37.1 minutes of playing time per night while also acting as the team's main defender against LeBron James.
However, following his successful 2014 postseason, Stephenson entered unrestricted free-agency and decided to turn down Bird's five-year, $44 million proposal and test the market that summer, thinking that he was worth more than what the Pacers are offering.
He ended up signing with the Charlotte Hornets to a three-year, $27 million contract in July of that year, which is more or less the same as what Indiana had tendered.
With the Hornets, Stephenson was not the same player as he was in Indiana under then head coach Frank Vogel as his production and playing dropped by so much. After only a season, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers where his game and utilization further declined under Doc Rivers, who said that "he wasn't a great for us" and criticized the Brooklyn native's defense as well, via SB Nation.
He did not even finish the season in LA, as he averaged only 4.7 points and 15.8 minutes per night in 43 uninspiring games, before the Clippers decided to send him along with a future first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jeff Green during this year's trade deadline.
Stephenson found his offensive groove again with the Grizzlies, though, as he averaged a career-high 14.2 points together with 4.4 boards and 2.8 dimes in 26 games, but still Memphis has not expressed interest in keeping him next season after the club declined his team option.
Right now, the former Cincinnati standout is said to be open to returning to Indiana and the Pacers seems to be ready to accept him back.
"That's home for him," a source for the Indy Star said. "He absolutely loves the town and the organization."
The report noted that Indiana has "around $10 million left in their salary cap after agreeing to terms with Al Jefferson and could use most of that money to sign Stephenson".
