NBA Rumors: Dallas Mavericks don’t see Lance Stephenson as a fit

For the majority of Game 2 on Tuesday night against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, we saw just how dangerous Lance Stephenson can be for the Indiana Pacers. Although the Pacers let the game get away from them in the fourth quarter, it’s still hard to ignore Stephenson’s 25-points, seven assists and six rebounds that he ended up with.

With free agency rapidly approaching for Stephenson this summer, it’s the kind of performances like that that could ultimately get him paid this summer.

But according to Tim MacMahon over at ESPN.com, it more than likely won’t be the Dallas Mavericks that will be cutting him those big checks as, mostly because of his previous behavioral issues, the organization doesn’t see him as a fit.

"The Mavs have concerns about how Stephenson would fit in their culture. A strong argument could be made that he’d benefit from being around a bunch of veterans, but that atmosphere couldn’t keep Josh Howard, Lamar Odom and Delonte West from going south in recent seasons. It’s a risk the Mavs would rather not take for a player who would make an eight-figure salary and not have a perfect position fit."

The Mavericks could definitely use someone with the talents of Stephenson, as we saw during their most recent playoff run that they still have a championship run or two in the tank, but they won’t bring him in at the cost of the headaches he would bring along with him.