Lance Stephenson suffered a groin injury recently which is expected to keep him sidelined for about two months. The swingman was signed in the offseason by the New Orleans Pelicans to provide a playmaking punch to a team without a major playmaker on their squad. Lance can make ’em dance and he did the most he could with a new opportunity.
Lance joined the team on a small guaranteed deal and only six games in he already proved his worth to the squad. Unfortunately for him, this injury comes at a time that couldn’t be any worse for both him and the team. With a number of injuries to their squad, the team doesn’t have room on their roster to keep Lance right now. He was waived to free up space and sign free agent guard Archie Goodwin. It’s the unfortunate reality of the NBA.
The team announced the move on Monday morning.
The Pelicans are signing Goodwin to take his spot on the roster as a healthy guard. The team confirmed the news on Monday but Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports first reported on an agreement.
The New Orleans Pelicans plan to release injured guard Lance Stephenson and sign free-agent guard Archie Goodwin, league sources told The Vertical.
Goodwin will sign a two-year contract with New Orleans, sources said.
Archie Goodwin made the news official on his twitter account.
A huge thanks to the @PelicansNBA organization. Forever grateful. Chapter 4 officially begins.
— Archie Goodwin (@A1Laflare10) November 7, 2016
In six games this season, Stephenson has averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per game.
Goodwin has played in 150 career games, with 15 starts, all with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 6.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 14.5 minutes per game
