With the NBA Draft over, the Indiana Pacers are refocusing their priorities to the upcoming free agency frenzy. They need to make moves if they intend on becoming contenders again in the Eastern Conference. The past two seasons they felt they had the right roster in place to beat the Miami Heat, but came up short. With key players about to hit the market, the first priority is deciding the fate of Lance Stephenson.
The shooting guard did not end his year on a high note. This time last year, re-signing Stephenson to a large contract seemed like a no-brainer. However, his struggles on the court and off the court have put his future into question, leaving many to wonder if the Pacers intend to sign him or let him walk away. According to Larry Bird, Stephenson is a part of the Pacers' long-term future.
According to Pacers beat reporter Scott Agness, Bird intends to make Stephenson's contract a priority with the draft over. Free agency begins on July 1 and the shooting guard will get attention despite his maturity being placed into question. Bird said he and Stephenson met and discussed the previous season and his expectations for the future. Bird takes blame for some of the maturity issues the guard suffered and noted, "I know he wants to be here. He needs to be paid like everybody else has been paid."
There are plenty of teams that will want Stephenson if he is available. The Houston Rockets could take a look at him if they miss on Carmelo Anthony. The Chicago Bulls could do the same. The New York Knicks might also be interested depending on his contract demands. Stephenson averaged 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds during the regular season.
The Pacers opted out of making any draft moves. They traded their lone pick, shifting their focus to free agency and trades instead. Could George Hill or Roy Hibbert be the centerpieces of a few deals? Both players have been brought up in rumors. Hill could be replaced by Rajon Rondo. The Lakers have glanced towards Hibbert. Bird is concerned about holding on to the core group which includes those two players.
"I believe in keeping the core of your team together. Now, you might make some moves and try to add to it but I like our core. I think we've got to be more consistent and I think we've got to have better ball movement and I think players got to be held accountable and they will be," Bird said, via the Star Press. "You can speculate all you want but I'm pretty set with our core group and I'm going to give them another shot. They almost got there two years in a row, I think they deserve another shot."
