After spending just 23 games with the Memphis Grizzlies, shooting guard Lance Stephenson had his $9.4 million team option declined, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.
Originally, in the summer of 2014, Stephenson signed a three-year, $27.4 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes. Lance was brought to LA to be a scoring threat off of the bench, something that the Clippers severely lacked. He spent 43 games in Hollywood and saw limited playing time, roughly 16 minutes per game. In those games under Doc Rivers, Stephenson averaged 4.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
His production in Memphis jumped, mainly because the Grizzlies were riddled with injuries down the stretch and didn’t have much of an offense. The injuries also gave him more playing time, and his minutes per game jumped up 26.6 while he averaged 14.2 points on 47.4 percent shooting and 4.4 rebounds.
Stephenson will undoubtedly draw interest because of his track record. Although he’s very erratic at times, Stephenson is the perfect complimentary player to a team with an established superstar. His all-around game makes him a constant threat because it seems like he’s always around the basketball. He’s a respectable shooter (38.5 percent last year), which is always a plus with the way the NBA is changing; he can run the break because of his ability to handle the ball, and he has a big body and attacks the glass. Back in 2013-14, Stephenson was the top rebounder of all players 6-5 and shorter, according to Basketball-Reference.
