Lance Stephenson had a career year with the Indiana Pacers in 2013-14, but he won’t be sticking around to improve on that.
Stephenson signed a three-year deal worth $27 million with the Charlotte Hornets early Wednesday morning, league sources confirmed to ESPN’s Chris Broussard. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer was the first to report the news.
The 23-year-old guard posted career highs across the board in his fourth season with Indiana, averaging 13.8 points per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
Yet Stephenson also developed a penchant for on-the-court antics that were most notably on display during the team’s Eastern Conference Finals playoff series against the Miami Heat. Those antics prompted a harsh rebuke from team president Larry Bird, leaving many to wonder whether Stephenson would be a part of the Pacers’ future plans.
Extra-curricular activities aside, Stephenson proved he could hold his own between the whistles and generated interest from many NBA suitors this offseason, including the Boston Celtics.
In Charlotte, he’ll join a new-look Hornets squad that made the playoffs for the first time in four seasons in its last year as the Charlotte Bobcats.
Stephenson took to Twitter on Wednesday to thank the fans of Indiana, while Pacers big man Roy Hibbert was saddened by his teammate’s departure.
[tweet https://twitter.com/StephensonLance/status/489434538192285696 align=’center’]
[tweet https://twitter.com/Hoya2aPacer/statuses/489403351617245184 align=’center’]
Photo via Twitter/@Sport_buzz_fr
