At one point, it looked like Lance Stephenson did not have a future in the NBA. After he let the Indiana Pacers in the summer of 2014, his career took a turn for the worst. He signed with the Charlotte Hornets and it quickly started to not workout.
He was traded the following summer to the Los Angeles Clippers, then he was sent to the Memphis Grizzlies and experienced a small career resurgence. This summer he found himself among the other NBA free agents but didn’t get paid like most of the other guys. A player who was once a coveted prospect around the league immediately became a player most teams didn’t want. Then the Pelicans called.
A team in need of a consistent playmaking body signed Lance to come in as a potential spark off the bench. But he had to make the roster first.
Monday was the deadline for NBA teams to cut their rosters down to 15 players and Stephenson locked in his spot after New Orleans waived Alonzo Gee.
The team made an official announcement earlier in the day. They also sent out a tweet about Gee’s release.
The #Pelicans have waived forward Alonzo Gee pic.twitter.com/ab13nqMJn7
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 24, 2016
Stephenson spoke to the media after finding out he made the roster. He expressed his gratitude for making the team and wants to shed any negative thoughts about him.
