Why Lance Stephenson could be available to the Pacers again

Scott Horner | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption Yes, LeBron and Lance are teammates. Now what? LeBron James' decision to move to L.A. wasn't surprising. But having longtime nemesis Lance Stephenson join him on the Lakers was a shocker.

If you're upset that the Indiana Pacers let Lance Stephenson go, a couple of in-the-know NBA observers have advice: Be patient; he will be available again.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks, a former NBA general manager, discussed the Los Angeles Lakers' makeover Wednesday on the "Woj Pod." LeBron James, Stephenson, Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee are new to the Lakers.

Wojnarwoski and Marks believe Stephenson's long-term prospects in L.A. are slim.

"He has not played well anywhere but Indiana. He was such a fish out of water everywhere he’s gone," Wojnarowski said. "Charlotte was trying to trade him back to Indiana like three weeks in. You know how this ends. In November or December, they’re going to be calling the Pacers to take him back. He doesn’t do well anywhere else."

Marks relayed a story about his time as the personnel boss for the Brooklyn Nets, who were considering trading for Stephenson.

More: How the Pacers cut Lance Stephenson and he signed to play with LeBron James

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"We took a trip down to Charlotte. We were interested in getting him. We actually did have him in a trade," Marks said. "I woke up at 3 in the morning and (Nets executive Billy Knight) woke up at the same time and we texted each other and said, ‘We can’t do this trade.’"

Marks doesn't understand how Stephenson fits in Los Angeles.

"Indiana, he was really good, but everywhere else he was terrible. Now he goes into a Lakers team (and) I don’t know where the fit is with him," Marks said. "It was interesting because when LeBron came off the board, and all the signings came really quick. It was like they ran the names by before he committed, and Lance Stephenson was on the list."

In Stephenson's defense, he did average 14.2 points on 47.4 percent shooting in 26 games with Memphis but has generally played significantly better in Indianapolis than five stops.

Pacers Stat/36 Others 13.2 Points 13.1 46 FG% 42.8 32.7 3FG% 25.1 6.7 Rebounds 6 4.3 Assists 4.6 2.4 Turnovers 2.7

Note: Stephenson's first two seasons with the Pacers are not included due to his limited playing time.

Stephenson was a second-round draft pick by the Pacers in 2010, and in the fourth year of his first stint, he was a starter on an Eastern Conference finalist, averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

He left the Pacers for Charlotte, where he struggled for one season (8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds). He also played for the Los Angeles Clippers (43 games), Memphis Grizzlies (26), New Orleans Pelicans (six) and Minnesota Timberwolves (six) before returning to the Pacers late in the 2016-17 season.

In the season that just ended, he averaged 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while providing energy off the bench.