Rowan Kavner
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – Lance Stephenson is the newest addition to the Clippers, who traded Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes to bring in the versatile guard.
Here is some more information on Stephenson:
- Stephenson signed a three-year, $27 million deal to go to Charlotte in July 2014, so he has two years left on his contract. However, Stephenson only has one year and $9 million remaining guaranteed, because there’s a $9.4 million team option for the 2016-17 season. Hawes also signed his deal with the Clippers last summer, signing for four years and nearly $23 million with a player option in the 2017-18 season. Barnes was in the final year of his contract, set to earn $3.5 million if the Clippers kept him on the roster for the season.
- At 6-5, 230 pounds, the Clippers add a 24-year-old guard capable of playing and guarding a variety of positions. He was one of the most sought after free agents last summer. While the fit didn’t work for one season in Charlotte the way it did in Indiana, the Clippers hope a change of scenery can rekindle the kind of production Stephenson had with the Pacers, where he was widely regarded as one of the better defensive wings and most sought after free agents in the league.
- Stephenson, nicknamed “Born Ready,” played a major role in getting the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals in each of his previous two seasons before joining the Hornets. He started all 78 games he played in during his final year in Indiana, averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 35.3 minutes per game. He led the league in triple doubles with five during the 2013-14 season.
- In Charlotte, Stephenson dealt with injury and played in 61 games with 25 starts, averaging 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 25.8 minutes per game. For his career, Stephenson’s averaged 8.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Despite ups and downs the last couple seasons for Stephenson, he’s got the potential to be a difference-making addition in the Clippers’ rotation. He provides the Clippers another athletic wing defender, which would’ve been difficult to add given the cap circumstances without making a trade.
- While Stephenson only shot 37.6 percent from the field and 17.1 percent from 3-point range last season, he was coming off a 2013-14 season in which he shot 49.1 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from 3-point range, both career highs. Those numbers translated to the postseason, as Stephenson shot 35.8 percent from 3-point range in the 2013-14 playoffs while averaging 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Stephenson’s standout 2013-14 season led him to finish second in the NBA’s Most Improved Player voting prior to joining Charlotte.