The Signing of Aaron Brooks Should End Any Lance Stephenson Rumors

The Pacers signing free agent point guard Aaron Brooks this week will more than likely put a halt to the “Welcome Home, Lance” party planning.

Larry Bird has been busy this off-season and in the end, it looks like there won’t be a reunion between the Indiana Pacers and Lance Stephenson.

With all the moves the Pacers have made, there just isn’t room.

After firing Frank Vogel (Wait, no. He just didn’t renew his contract) and promoting Nate McMillan to head coach, Larry legend got to work on the roster.

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Trading one hometown kid for another, George Hill landed in Utah, and the Pacers acquired Pike High’s own Jeff Teague.

Following that up with what I believe is a steal in acquiring Thaddeus Young, the Pacers then drafted Georges Niang in the second round of the NBA Draft, and he’s shown plenty of upside already.

Aside from that whole signing Al Jefferson thing, the Pacers’ plan to play more uptempo falls right in line with recent transactions. I project that the starting lineup will look something like the following: Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Thaddeus Young, and Myles Turner. An athletic mix of young underrated defenders with a superstar in Paul George could disrupt some things in the East.

In the midst of all the NBA free agency frenzy, we began to hear whispers of a possible reunion between Lance Stephenson and the Indiana Pacers.

Stephenson is coming off of two wasted seasons would probably sign for steak coupons at St. Elmo’s, but that didn’t stop Pacers fans from campaigning on Twitter as if Lance were necessary to Indiana’s success.

Could Lance help the Pacers? Maybe. Is it worth the risk? Maybe.

The thing with Lance is you never know what you’re going to get.

At face-value, Lance is 8.8 points and 3 assists per game. While the numbers look mediocre, I’ll be the first to admit that “Good Lance” is great. But unfortunately, you can’t pick which elements of Lance you want when adding him to the chemistry of a team.

It doesn’t seem likely we’ll see Lance again, especially after signing Brooks.

"“He’s special,” said Bird. “He’s a special player. We know him. We see what he can do. But right now, I’d say it’s probably a very slim chance.”"

Lance will find a home this year, it just won’t be in Indy.

The signing of Aaron Brooks puts the Pacers at 16 players under contract for next season. Bottom line, somebody has to go. Shayne Whittington and Glen Robinson III are the only players whose contracts aren’t fully guaranteed.

Miami, New York, and Orlando all seem to be interested in attaining Lance’s services and the Magic appear to be the front-runners. But nobody knows what Lance is going to do.

A Pacers reunion of sorts can take place if Lance decides to join former head coach Frank Vogel in Orlando. Adding Stephenson to a young talented team seems like a risk Orlando is willing to take. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?

Next: Paul George and Myles Turner Go Head to Head

Sometimes you’ve got to blow on the dice before you roll them.