Paul George wanted Indiana Pacers to keep Lance Stpehenson

Although they have been disappointed with some of his activity on and off of the court, the Indiana Pacers wanted to keep Lance Stephenson, offering him a five-year, $44 million deal to remain with the team. Instead, Stephenson signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets.

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The Pacers’ best player, swingman Paul George, wanted Stephenson to stay but admits Stephenson’s departure could help his game, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

"“Obviously, I wanted him to come back, we gained so much chemistry together,” George said. “But I didn’t want to make the decision for him.”But how much did George and the rest of his teammates truly want Stephenson back? Frequently, Stephenson was the Pacers’ best player, and there is no denying his talent. Team president Larry Bird said publicly and strongly several times he wanted to keep Stephenson, though the way the Pacers were so ironclad in their position even after Charlotte offered a relatively miniscule increase in annual salary made Bird’s stance on the matter seem a little questionable."

George averaged 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per while shooting 42.4% from the field, 36.4% from beyond the arc and 86.4% from the charity stripe. In the postseason, he put up 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 43.8% from the field, 40.3% from three and 78.9% from the free throw line. Stephenson averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season while shooting 49.1% from the field, 35.2% from beyond the arc and 71.1% from the free throw line in the regular season. In the postseason, he put up 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He shot 45.5% from the field, 35.8% from three and 71.4% from the charity stripe.

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