Pacer Will Make Big Move To Keep Stephenson

Lance Stephenson was a staple in the Indiana Pacers success during the first half of the season. He was one of the primary reason that the Indiana Pacers were considered the best team in basketball at one point in the season.

Toward the tail-end of the season Indiana began to skid, bu they were so successful early on that they hung on to the No. 1 see in the NBA Central.  In the playoffs, things did not get much better. Indiana barely made their way into the Eastern Conference championship game against the Heat. Then there was the complete debacle of that series. The cause of that debacle is Stephenson.

Stephenson, comically, blew in the ear of LeBron James and at one point called him weak. Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird and coach Frank Vogel all condemned his actions. Even Pacers’ star Paul George seemed frustrated with Stephenson,as when he was asked after the game that saw the Pacers eliminated if he wanted Stephenson to return to Indiana he said “I don’t know.”

It seemed as though the Pacers may not even make a play for Stephenson when he became a free agent, however, all of that hos now changed.  Paul George said of his infamous “I don’t know.” answer that it was taking out of context:

Obviously, me and Lance have been here four years together. I would love to continue to keep playing with Lance. When I said ‘I don’t know,’ I was speaking on what he’s going to do. I don’t know what he’s going to do, I don’t know what our front office is going to do and at the end of the day that’s my decision. I went through contract talks, it was tough, but I would love to see No. 1 back here in a Pacers uniform.

-Paul George

That’s all well and good but at the end of the day George does not make the decisions. Larry Bird does, but he has also changed his tune on Stephenson.  He opted not to pick up a draft pick in order to save money to try and bring him back.

Lance wants to be here, there’s no question about it… So now it’s just getting the terms right and try to get him back.

-Larry Bird

The Pacers have do not have a lot of wiggle room and paying Stephenson a big contract is there only option in order to keep the team intact. However, the Pacers could always bring Stephenson back and then trade him for a similarly talented player before the deadline and move in a new direction, perhaps a less erratic and eccentric one.

Either way expect to the Pacers to break the bank, so to speak, in order to secure Stephenson.