Lance Stephenson's Parents Believe In Pacers' Plan To Sign Son To Long-Term Extension

[RealGM Wiretap]

Lance Stephenson's family and parents, Lance and Bernadette, feel at home in Indianapolis and believe in the Pacers' organizational plan to keep the young shooting guard long-term.

Larry Bird has made it clear that he will try to sign Stephenson to a new deal this offseason, when Stephenson becomes an unrestricted free agent. Stephenson has also stated his desire to remain with the Pacers.

“We're optimistic that he will stay here,” Stephenson's father said. “I listened to Larry Bird (at the press conference to announce Paul George's long-term contract last summer) say, 'Lance, you'll be sitting here with your dad.' That's what we believe. Until otherwise, that's the plan. Larry Bird said that and we bought into it. We believe it, Lance believes it.”

“We don't try to analyze the future to that point,” Stephenson's mother added. “That's out of our control. I guess when we get to that point … right now we're just focusing on day-to-day.”

Via Mark Montieth/Pacers.com

[thegreenlife]

Although I doubt Bird is going to offer Lance anything more than a 5 year 35 million deal...

[CHAMPi0N]

Although I doubt Bird is going to offer Lance anything more than a 5 year 35 million deal...

You're probably right on the money, and it would be in Lance's best interests to stick around a team that believed in him from the start... Giving up about $10 million to stay in Indy should be well worth it when you look at the potential in their roster

[grumpysaddle]

Although I doubt Bird is going to offer Lance anything more than a 5 year 35 million deal...

You're probably right on the money, and it would be in Lance's best interests to stick around a team that believed in him from the start... Giving up about $10 million to stay in Indy should be well worth it when you look at the potential in their roster

It's pretty easy to say "give up $10 million" when you aren't the one giving up that ridiculous amount of money...

[Xerxes_Tetra]

Indiana seems intent on not paying the luxury tax. If that continues to be the case then they can sign him to a deal as high as ~$8m starting assuming they make certain decisions. Let assume the 2014-15 luxury tax line is $73.1m (which would be the same increase over 2013-14 as we saw from 2012-13 to 2013-14).

Pacers won't have a cap hold for their 2013-14 first rounder because they owe it to the Suns as part of the Luis Scola deal.

Obviously, they aren't going to resign Danny Granger or Rasual Butler. Also, they presumably won't bring back Sloan or Johnson whose deals are not guaranteed in 2014-15.

That leaves 9 roster slots filled and $64,628,000 of salaries. They'd have $1m in cap holds for 2 empty slots putting them at $65,628,000. That'd allow them to go as high as $8,482,000 in the first year of Lance's extension. I'd $7-8m is where they'd need to end up to keep him.

The problem though will be they will be hard pressed to stay out of the luxury tax in 2015-16. But if they have real success with this unit this year and next year they may decide to go into the tax to keep it together. We'll see.

[Sam195]

Although I doubt Bird is going to offer Lance anything more than a 5 year 35 million deal...

You're probably right on the money, and it would be in Lance's best interests to stick around a team that believed in him from the start... Giving up about $10 million to stay in Indy should be well worth it when you look at the potential in their roster

It's pretty easy to say "give up $10 million" when you aren't the one giving up that ridiculous amount of money...

True. I think pacers are going to have competition to retain Lance. I could see a scenario where the pacers offer lance a 5 year contract and another team offers him the same money over four years. Larry Bird made two trades that looked good in the short term but look like they have bitten the pacers back in the ass. Bird traded gerald green, plumlee and a first rounder (likely the 30th pick in the 2014 draft) for luis scola who seems to be on the decline despite coming off the bench. While Plumlee and Green are getting more minutes than they did with the pacers and a lighting it up down in phoenix. Another trade bird messed up on was trading Kawhi Leonard on a rookie deal for george hill. Leonard has already shown in two seasons that he is better player than hill with a much higher ceiling. Than the pacers overpaid to retain hill in restricted free agency by signing him to a 5 year 40 million deal when better players like kevin martin, Jamal crawford, kyle lowry and others make much less. A lot of people around the nba say the pacers need to upgrade at point guard to beat miami so what are they going to do with george hill who doesn't generate the offense to be a potentent shooting guard or has the play making ablities of tier 2 point guard. If hill is makeing 8M/season, there is no way bird can get away with paying lance less especially if he makes the allstar team this year which looks like a near lock. Hill has never played like an allstar.

[Sam195]

Indiana seems intent on not paying the luxury tax. If that continues to be the case then they can sign him to a deal as high as ~$8m starting assuming they make certain decisions. Let assume the 2014-15 luxury tax line is $73.1m (which would be the same increase over 2013-14 as we saw from 2012-13 to 2013-14).

Pacers won't have a cap hold for their 2013-14 first rounder because they owe it to the Suns as part of the Luis Scola deal.

Obviously, they aren't going to resign Danny Granger or Rasual Butler. Also, they presumably won't bring back Sloan or Johnson whose deals are not guaranteed in 2014-15.

That leaves 9 roster slots filled and $64,628,000 of salaries. They'd have $1m in cap holds for 2 empty slots putting them at $65,628,000. That'd allow them to go as high as $8,482,000 in the first year of Lance's extension. I'd $7-8m is where they'd need to end up to keep him.

The problem though will be they will be hard pressed to stay out of the luxury tax in 2015-16. But if they have real success with this unit this year and next year they may decide to go into the tax to keep it together. We'll see.

It may be cheaper for the pacers to resign granger on a one year deal than try to retain lance. Pacers could than go after a point guard like kyle lowry in free agency for less money than stephenson. George hill could replace lance's role by sliding down to his natural shooting guard position. I'm sure bird has planned out a scernario where lance doesn't return.

[Pukovnik]

It seems Stephenson is enjoying very much playing for the Pacers, he respects Larry Bird for what he did for him, helping him become a player he is today. Hopefully, Lance will think that as a 23 year old future All Star he shouldn't think about the money as a priority this time around, if he signs a five year deal with the Pacers giving him around 8mil per season, his contract would end when he is 28, entering his prime he would be able to get another huge deal going forward. I know when saying "if he doesn't think about the money this time around" is a reach when it comes to an NBA player, but hopefully he will understand that with the Pacers he has a huge chance of getting a few championships. The alternative is taking more money playing, potentially, for a team that won't be able to compete at the highest level.

[CHAMPi0N]

Although I doubt Bird is going to offer Lance anything more than a 5 year 35 million deal...

You're probably right on the money, and it would be in Lance's best interests to stick around a team that believed in him from the start... Giving up about $10 million to stay in Indy should be well worth it when you look at the potential in their roster

It's pretty easy to say "give up $10 million" when you aren't the one giving up that ridiculous amount of money...

It is actually quite easy to say it when it's not my money on the line - you're right.
Point being, if he leaves the Indy system, he won't be able to provide the same production as he has this year.
Good for him because then he'll make more money, surely.
Bad for him because long-term, that'll be the last big contract he will get.

[RedX]

The world is at ease now.

[crazymaso]

Indiana seems intent on not paying the luxury tax. If that continues to be the case then they can sign him to a deal as high as ~$8m starting assuming they make certain decisions. Let assume the 2014-15 luxury tax line is $73.1m (which would be the same increase over 2013-14 as we saw from 2012-13 to 2013-14).

Pacers won't have a cap hold for their 2013-14 first rounder because they owe it to the Suns as part of the Luis Scola deal.

Obviously, they aren't going to resign Danny Granger or Rasual Butler. Also, they presumably won't bring back Sloan or Johnson whose deals are not guaranteed in 2014-15.

That leaves 9 roster slots filled and $64,628,000 of salaries. They'd have $1m in cap holds for 2 empty slots putting them at $65,628,000. That'd allow them to go as high as $8,482,000 in the first year of Lance's extension. I'd $7-8m is where they'd need to end up to keep him.

The problem though will be they will be hard pressed to stay out of the luxury tax in 2015-16. But if they have real success with this unit this year and next year they may decide to go into the tax to keep it together. We'll see.

It may be cheaper for the pacers to resign granger on a one year deal than try to retain lance. Pacers could than go after a point guard like kyle lowry in free agency for less money than stephenson. George hill could replace lance's role by sliding down to his natural shooting guard position. I'm sure bird has planned out a scernario where lance doesn't return.

The Pacers don't have the cap space to sign free agents unless they trade one of their core players, which would obviously be stupid.

[Bentley1225]

If they can deal Granger at the deadline for an expiring and a rookie contract player, deal Chris Copeland for a 2014 2nd round pick, and Scola for a rookie contract player and save $5-6 million in the process, they can

Hill/Watson/Sloan
Stevenson/#
George/Hill
West/*/%
Hibbert/Mahimini

# - rookie contract player in dealing Granger
* - rookie contract player in dealing Scola
% - 2014 2nd round pick in dealing Copeland

[Dolphin Lips]

'Lance, you'll be sitting here with your dad.' That's what we believe. Until otherwise, that's the plan.'

How stupid can you be? Just believe everything anyone tells you

[ybnd]

who in the **** gives a **** about the parents or the wife or the barber or whoever the ****...

[AndrettiFamily]

it would be a basketball travesty if the pacers wind up messing up this roster just to save a few million. whats a few million in the grand scheme of things for a rich owner? give lance 4 years 36 million, he accepts and you move on. keep granger for depth, keep hill, scola, watson, copeland, mahimni. then you still have george, west, and hibbert. cut butler and sloan, then grab some guys on minimum rookie deals. pacers wont win anything if they go the "save money" route

[draftbarnes]

Lance get your family out the Hood in Brooklyn.

[IMAN5]

there really is nothing to report these days if we have articles about Lance Stephenson's parents...

[Mightymosdef]

who in the **** gives a **** about the parents or the wife or the barber or whoever the ****...

Decent human beings..

[ybnd]

who in the **** gives a **** about the parents or the wife or the barber or whoever the ****...

Decent human beings..

Lance Stephenson is a grown ass man...this isnt like hes picking what college hes going to....who gives a **** what his parents think or want....it has no significance to anything....and it makes Lance look like hes a little mama and daddys boy or something

[cs hauser]

....who gives a **** what his parents think or want....it has no significance to anything....and it makes Lance look like hes a little mama and daddys boy or something

It makes Lance look like he comes from a loving and close-knit family.

Y'know, unlike other athletes who have to evict their dadss or sue their moms for selling off childhood memorabilia to collectors.