National Basketball Association

NBA: Three Potential Landing Spots For Lance Stephenson

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:33 p.m. ET

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Which NBA teams should take a chance on Lance Stephenson, when he’s healthy?

As of November 7, 2016, Lance Stephenson has been recovering from a groin injury that required surgery. He started off the season playing for the New Orleans Pelicans, but was waived shortly after his injury and is without a team to return to.

For now.

Even though Lance Stephenson’s reputation hurts his appeal to a certain extent, his style of play is simply too good to pass on. The big issue here, unfortunately, is that he’s becoming a huge injury risk.

Despite his recent rack record of injuries, no team should overlook him when he’s healthy enough to play. In fact, let’s take a look at a few teams that could/should show some interest.

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Sacramento Kings

To my surprise, the Sacramento Kings recently became one of the teams in line to grab the 8th seed in the Western Conference. It’s pretty shocking, really, how the Kings find their success without Rudy Gay – which goes to show just how expendable he is for this team.

If the Kings expect to make this playoff push now that DeMarcus Cousins and his team have gotten into some sort of groove, it’d be interesting to see Lance Stephenson join forces with the Kings.

He wouldn’t have to start since Arron Afflalo is already at the helm. Stephenson could be reserved for a bench role, comparable to his time in Memphis. He already has a connection with Coach Dave Joerger, which could also propel his role with the Kings even further.

Between Ben McLemore and Stephenson, the latter has more upside for the roster because of his passing, rebounding and defense. Also, Ty Lawson‘s effectiveness has been questionable this season, so we could see Stephenson play a quality load of minutes at multiple positions.

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

New York Knicks

Jeff Hornacek, in recent reports, has indicated that the Knicks’ defense is a growing concern for the future of the organization.

Stephenson plays a hard brand of defense, though, he also brings a bit of silliness along with it. However, his intensity is something that could light a spark under a Knicks defense that ranks 26th in the NBA.

The Knicks signing Stephenson could cause somewhat of a mess since Justin Holiday and Stephenson share the same position and the former has shined throughout the season. The Knicks could simply make some trades in order to make a move like this work. Given the amount of youth on the roster, Phil Jackson could also move some assets to the Westchester Knicks in order to clear up space for Stephenson.

Quite possibly the only other issue here would be the offensive flow. Brandon Jennings is a ball-dominant player and, like Stephenson, doesn’t have the most reliable shooting. The chemistry might prove difficult, but we won’t know unless it happens.

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are likely a shoe-in for the Finals, but they aren’t a perfect team.

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Securing Kevin Durant in the offseason required a lot of money to be moved. Key bench players that helped guide the Warriors’ prosperity were lost, and now their bench is without any critical assets. Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and David West guide the bench with their veteran presence and from the perspective of the regular season, that’s okay.

For the postseason, however, the Warriors bench needs a bit more than just veteran leadership. It needs spunk and intensity.

Iguodala is a Finals MVP and West is hungry for a ring. Stephenson’s gritty style of play could bring the added element of craziness that the Warriors need coming off the bench.

Assuming the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors make the Finals again, adding Stephenson to the lineup might be the Warriors’ best bet at matching the Cavaliers’ recent acquisition of Kyle Korver.

Perhaps these options seem like long shots, but Stephenson could definitely bring some fire to each of these rosters. There is no definitive timetable for Stephenson’s return, so only time will tell.