Pacers Sign Lance Stephenson To Second 10-Day Deal

The Pacers have signed guard/forward Lance Stephenson to a second 10-day contract via the hardship exception, the team announced in a press release.

Stephenson, 31, is 6-foot-6 and has played well in 11 games in his return to Indiana, averaging 7.5 points and 3.3 assists, shooting 49 percent from the field.

“He’s given us a big lift, and he did a lot of really good things (Monday),” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. “It’s a difficult setting here. We got a full house, it’s Boston, it’s a raucous crowd, it’s a team that’s a good team that we’re playing against. So it’s a difficult set of circumstances, but he once again did a lot of good things.”

The Pacers still have three players in health and safety protocols — Goga Bitadze, Caris LeVert, and T.J. Warren. That makes them eligible to continue to sign players to hardship deals.

“Stephenson still looks like a safe bet to eventually get a full-season commitment, but keeping him on 10-day contracts for now will allow Indiana to maximize its roster flexibility with the trade deadline less than a month away,” wrote Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors.

Marc Stein of The Stein Line also reported that the Pacers intend to keep Stephenson for the remainder of the season.