After being bounced in the first round of the playoffs following a hard-fought series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Indiana Pacers head into an important offseason.
One of their primary decisions to make was the team option of reserve guard Lance Stephenson which they have reportedly decided to decline according to Yahoo’s Shams Charania.
The Indiana Pacers are declining Lance Stephenson’s $4.3M team option and he’ll be a free agent, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2018
Throughout the campaign, Lance Stephenson provided a much-needed spark off the bench for the Pacers but they will ultimately look elsewhere for that production after declining his option and making him a free agent.
The Pacers reportedly already have a few options in mind to fill that void. According to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, the Pacers are expected to target free agent guards Tyreke Evans and Will Barton.
ESPN Sources: With Indiana declining team option on Lance Stephenson, Tyreke Evans and Will Barton are expected to be two of its free-agent targets.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 25, 2018
Stephenson played in all 82 games for the Pacers this season, doing a solid job spelling explosive guard Victor Oladipo and serving as Indiana’s primary playmaker for their second unit. However, the Pacers clearly have their eyes set on two top-tier bench contributors in Tyreke Evans and Will Barton.
Both Evans and Barton are in line for increased paydays, and would drastically bolster any bench unit they become a part of. However, whether either of them ultimately decides to join a rising Pacers team remains to be seen.
