With the Indiana Pacers eliminated in this year's playoffs by the Miami Heat, the Pacers head to the summer with several questions such as the future of their talented but mercurial shooting guard Lance Stephenson.
The 23-year old, who was the subject of much controversy in the series for his antics especially against Heat star LeBron James, said he wants to return to the team next season. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
"I definitely want to be back," Stephenson said, according to USA Today. "Right now I can't really, I'm not really focused on that right now. Right now I'm just showing love to my guys and showing how hard we worked. I wanna come back. I love Indiana."
It remains to be seen how Stephenson's antics will affect his value on the free-agent market. Stephenson is still under his rookie contract that paid him under $1 million this year, which was near the lowest salary on the Pacers roster. He played well this season averaging almost 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists per game, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. He nearly made the All-Star team but was also a distraction for the most part during the playoffs.
Stephenson is the only Pacers starter who is not signed for the long-term. And with the Pacers committing big money to their other stars like Roy Hibbert and Paul George, it may be too much for them to pay a shooting guard who can be explosive one game and be a source of controversy the next game.
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