NBA Rumors: Miami Heat Could Sign Lance Stephenson To Replace Dwyane Wade

The Miami Heat have been going through a rough offseason so far, although they were able to re-sign Hassan Whiteside. Unfortunately, they were unable to get a new deal done with star shooting guard Dwyane Wade, who ended up signing with the Chicago Bulls. Now, the Heat need to find a replacement at the shooting guard position.

Wade was the face of the Heat’s franchise for years and will be sorely missed. He nearly led Miami to the Eastern Conference Finals last season and there are very few options left in free agency for the Heat to work with.

One option that they could look into signing, however, is former Indiana Pacers star Lance Stephenson.

Stephenson has been a journeyman since leaving Indiana. He signed with the Charlotte Hornets, but was quickly traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Los Angeles then shipped him to the Memphis Grizzlies at the trade deadline last season and he seemed to find himself a bit.

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel mentioned that the Heat may have to turn to Stephenson as their last resort option to replace Wade.

The craziest part of all this Wade waiting? The Heat might need to get Lance Stephenson on Line 1.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) July 6, 2016

Miami fans have not had a very good relationship with Stephenson over the years. He is most known for his on-court rivalries with LeBron James during the Pacers’ hard-fought Eastern Conference Finals series’ against the Heat. Obviously those antics didn’t go over very well with Miami fans.

Last season after being traded to the Grizzlies, Stephenson ended up averaging 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He shot 47.4 percent from the field overall and knocked down 35.5 percent from behind the three-point arc. There is still a good chance that Stephenson can figure things out and get back to the exciting playmaker that he was in Indiana.

There were rumors over the last couple of weeks that Stephenson could reunite with the Pacers. That doesn’t sound like the case and we reported here at the Inquisitr that he is not expected to sign with Indiana yesterday.

At just 25-years-old, Stephenson is still well worth the risk of signing him to a one or two-year deal for the Heat. Looking at their roster, they are in major need of a starting caliber addition at the shooting guard position.

Needless to say, it would be strange to see Stephenson in a Heat jersey. He was not shy about his trolling of the franchise throughout his career up to this point.

If the Heat were to bring Stephenson in, they would be able to turn him loose. He would fit well into the system that it appears Miami will run next season. There is no telling whether Chris Bosh will be healthy, but Stephenson could immediately step in as one of the Heat’s top offensive options if he plays like he did with the Grizzlies last season.

Stephenson will not cost too much and there doesn’t seem to be a ton of interest in him at this time. It is unlikely that he will get more than a two-year deal at this point in time, as he simply hasn’t proven himself to be a consistently trustworthy investment.

Expect to hear plenty of rumors surrounding both the Heat and Stephenson in the near future. He is certainly an intriguing piece to think about for the Heat and it wouldn’t be shocking to see the two sides talk about a potential deal.

Do you think the Miami Heat should pursue a deal with Lance Stephenson to replace Dwyane Wade as their starting shooting guard? Would he continue to get his career back on track in Miami?

[Photo by AP Photo/Brandon Dill]