Lance Stephenson going to Charlotte to form NYC backcourt

Lance Stephenson’s big pay day went about as well as his decision to blow into LeBron James’ ear.
The Coney Island product out of Lincoln High School agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract with the Hornets on Wednesday — $17 million less than he turned down from the Pacers on July 1 — that includes a team option for the third year, said his agent, Alberto Ebanks.
But Ebanks said the deal with Michael Jordan’s Hornets was better for the talented 6-foot-5 Stephenson — who led the NBA in triple-doubles last season with five — for a variety of reasons. He can become a free agent in two or three years, when the salary cap is expected to increase with the league’s new television deal, and the Hornets will be paying him roughly $2.5 million more than the Pacers were willing to over the first three years of their proposed deal.
Ebanks also said there were other non-contending teams willing to pay Stephenson more money on an annual basis, but he wanted to play for a winner.
“We waited and we really took our time to make sure the fit was there,” Ebanks said in a phone interview. “We really expect good things over the next couple of years. You have to be in the right situation, you have to be in the right place, for the right things to happen.”

Stephenson joins fellow New Yorker Kemba Walker, a point guard from The Bronx who is coming into his own, in what could be a dynamic backcourt featuring the city’s two top pros.
When the Hornets come to the Garden or Barclays Center, they will have plenty of support. New Yorkers unhappy with the Knicks and the Nets have a third option now.
New Jersey’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is the team’s starting small forward and former Knicks legend Patrick Ewing is an assistant coach. Walker, a third year pro out of UConn who was one year ahead of Stephenson in high school, is coming off a brilliant season, in which he averaged 17.7 points, 6.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds and led Charlotte to the postseason.
Now he will have an equally as talented backcourt mate by his side, a player with whom he is very familiar.
With players such as Chandler Parsons (Mavericks) and Gordon Hayward (Jazz) landing max deals — players either equal to or inferior to the versatile and supremely talented Stephenson — he’s taking home $9 million a season. He reportedly also turned down a two-year, $20 million deal from Dallas.
Stephenson blew in James’ ear during the Eastern Conference finals, a move that drew criticism nationwide. He also was fined for flopping twice during the series and is the only player to have been fined four times for flopping. When Pacers center Roy Hibbert said there are “some selfish dudes in here,” he was reportedly referring to Stephenson, who also had run-ins with teammates George Hill and Evan Turner — getting into a fight with the latter in practice.

“Lance, like everyone else, is a work in progress,” Ebanks said. “The best answer I can give you is he’s committed to playing great basketball and doing everything to help a club, accentuating the positives.”
Stephenson, 23, seemed pleased with his Charlotte contract on Twitter:
“Indy, I had a great 4 years,” he tweeted. “Thank you Larry Bird, the fans, my coaches and teammates for the incredible experience. I will never forget any of you! I now have to look to the next phase of my career and the wonderful opportunity to continue to grow as a player and as a person in Charlotte! I’m excited to play for this franchise and the fans!! #buzzcity.”
Stephenson, a second-round pick (40th overall) in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Cincinnati, blossomed in Indiana under the tutelage of Bird, averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists last season while shooting a career high 49 percent from the field.