NBA Rumors: Lance Stephenson Could Become Free Agent This Week

NBA rumors are stating that Lance Stephenson could become a free agent after the trade deadline expires on Thursday. The Los Angeles Clippers are currently working on a trade with the Orlando Magic to acquire Channing Frye, and according to the Los Angeles Times, the five-year veteran might be thrown into the mix. The Magic would more than likely then cut Stephenson, and he would be free to sign with a team heading towards the NBA Playoffs.

When Lance Stephenson signed with the Charlotte Hornets, he was expected to become their franchise player. However, that didn’t work out too well, so the team moved on from him pretty quickly. The Los Angeles Clippers were hoping that they were getting a valuable rotation player to combat Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, but that didn’t work out as well.

Lance Stephenson isn’t a bad player. He’s got talent. He proved that when he was playing for the Indiana Pacers. At that point in time, he was one of the best players in the NBA, showing a good amount of versatility. In the right system and environment, Stephenson can become that player again. He can even do that for a team that is trying to get into the NBA Playoffs by adding talent at the last minute.

The Dallas Mavericks own on of the best environments in the NBA. Mark Cuban is the type of owner that players want to play for. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle understands the game of basketball as well as anyone else. Dirk Nowitzki is a franchise player but without the big ego. Lance Stephenson would provide the team with some depth and versatility at guard and forward, but he would need to become more of a team player to fit in.

The Atlanta Hawks are a team that is trying to decide if they want to blow up their roster or not. If they do end up trading away guys like Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver and Al Horford, then they’re going to need some talent to replace them because the return on those guys might be future assets. Lance Stephenson might even become the starting shooting guard if Korver is moved to a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers or Chicago Bulls.

Jimmy Butler has been asking the Chicago Bulls management team to find him some help on the perimeter. The losses of Nikola Mirotic and Joakim Noah have derailed the team a bit, but when Butler recovers from his knee injury, he’s going to compete a spot in the NBA Playoffs. Lance Stephenson can back up Butler at shooting guard, and he can also be the starting small forward if the Bulls needed him to be.

LeBron James is reportedly looking for the Cleveland Cavaliers to upgrade his support team on the perimeter. He feels that the team needs more than Iman Shumpert, JR Smith and Richard Jefferson if they want to be able to beat Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in a potential NBA Finals rematch. Lance Stephenson might be that guy, especially if he buys into what James has been selling to the team.

Dion Waiters is the starting shooting guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team wouldn’t mind giving him some help at that spot. Lance Stephenson can provide that. Waiters and Stephenson just need to contribute because much of the success of the team comes from the phenomenal play of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

[Featured Photo by Sean M Haffey/Getty Images]