With most of the marquee free agents and top second-tier players under contract, other players can now start to get their futures sorted out. Lance Stephenson is at the top of that list. The Indiana Pacers guard appears to be the forgotten free agent of the bunch and is now hoping that interest starts to increase with players like Luol Deng, Trevor Ariza and Chandler Parsons off the board. With big contract demands, where does the guard sign?
According to Jeff Caplan of NBA.com, Stephenson is slowly realizing that he might he to lower his contract requests. Stephenson was offered a five-year, $44 million contract from the Indiana Pacers, but turned it down convinced he is worth more. A year ago, that might have been true, but in 2013 Stephenson struggled with maturity issues and consistency in the playoffs making plenty of teams think twice before showing interest.
Plenty of the players on the Pacers roster want Stephenson back. When he is focused and playing well, he is a top scorer for the team. Paul George told ESPN.com that he is hoping the Pacers remain on Stephenson's radar during the offseason.
"It's all on Lance's plate," George said, via ESPN.com. "I didn't have to deal with this because I was a restricted free agent. It's really up to Lance, but I will say I do want him to come back. I've talked to him a few times, and I know how stressful it can be. I don't want to put any more on him. Once again, we've got our plates full (with chasing a title) but we like our chances."
Interest in Stephenson is wavering. The Miami Heat were showing some interest but they opted to sign Luol Deng instead. Marc Cuban admitted that Stephenson was on the radar of the Dallas Mavericks, but the team was able to land Chandler Parsons, halting the effort for the guard. The Chicago Bulls could be a strong option for Stephenson. They missed out on Carmelo Anthony. They did sign Pau Gasol, meaning Stephenson would have to take a pay cut if he joined. The Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers could also get involved.
