Washington Wizards Should Pursue Lance Stephenson

The Washington Wizards should pursue free agent Lance Stephenson, who would become a key player off their bench under Scott Brooks

There are some players that seem like they were born to play for their respective teams.

When Pau Gasol signed with the San Antonio Spurs this summer, pundits said it was a perfect marriage, almost as if the Spanish legend should have played his entire career in Texas.

The same applies to Lance Stephenson and the Washington Wizards.

There is certain criteria that make players who were born to play in D.C.: have some screws loose and a ton of unrealized potential.

Even though the Washington Wizards have shifted away from signing players that have been labeled “knuckleheads,” we always hold those players near our hearts.

We don’t have many fond memories of JaVale McGee, Nick Young and Andray Blatche, but we still keep up with their careers. They made Washington unique. It was a circus when they were in town, and soon after they were shipped out, the team became a lot more stable – and boring.

Now, I’m certainly not advocating that Washington should build a team completely comprised of knuckleheads, like the team was during the early years of John Wall‘s career, but having a couple of strange characters on a team makes it that much more fun.

As much as we love to watch our favorite teams play, the attachment goes far beyond just seeing them win games that we aren’t really a part of.

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When things don’t work out, like it didn’t with Glen Rice Jr., it’s easy to cut ties and move on.

Washington seems confident in Brooks as a leader and they certainly have faith in the core they’ve put together on the court.

So, why not take a chance on someone like Stephenson, who remains available on the market?

It’s not a secret that Washington lacks wing depth. They don’t have any concrete option behind Beal nor Otto Porter.

Tomas Satoransky, a rookie, and Kelly Oubre, a 20-year-old sophomore, are expected to play major roles off the bench. Relying on such young, inexperienced talent could end up hurting the team, though. Having a backup, even if it’s a risky one, wouldn’t hurt.

The Wizards have the room exception available, which is worth just under $3 million, and the options are pretty dried up.

When writing about the potential targets, Stephenson was the only player that really stuck out.

How much upside is there to signing someone like Dorell Wright or Chase Budinger, really? Best case scenario, the Wizards find a solid third option off the bench. The reward isn’t very high. On the flip side, taking a small risk on Stephenson could end up panning out in the long run.

Just a few seasons ago, Stephenson was considered to have All-Star talent and got paid $27 million as a free agent. At the time, that price tag was viewed as a big commitment, and the signing was supposed to help the Charlotte Hornets become a top team in the East.

It didn’t work out. Stephenson was awful in Charlotte, posting career lows all across the board. He shot a miserable 17 percent from three and became virtually unplayable.

Stephenson was later traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, where his numbers improved, but he wasn’t nearly as effective as he should have been.

When he eventually landed with the Memphis Grizzlies, Stephenson regained some of the magic he had with the Pacers.

Averaging 14 points and 4 rebounds in 26 games, Stephenson looked like his old self. He shot a respectable 35 percent from three, and became one of the team’s best creators.

Besides Wall and Beal, the Washington Wizards don’t have a player on their roster that can operate without another player’s help.

Washington Wizards Free Agency 2016: Wizards Should Pursue Lance Stephenson

By Ben Mehic | Jul 18, 2016

The Washington Wizards should pursue free agent Lance Stephenson, who would become a key player off their bench under Scott Brooks

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