NBA Rumors: Lance Stephenson Breaks Down After Lakers Elimination

For Lance Stephenson, making the NBA playoffs was something he wanted and was the reason why he signed up with the Los Angeles Lakers. But as most know by now, the purple and gold have been booted out of the postseason wars, meaning Stephenson will have to try again in the future.

However, Lance Stephenson may end up waiting for another call next NBA season. He signed a one-year deal with the Lakers, a move that was made to help toughen up the team surrounding LeBron James. With the lack of shooters, it was seen as an alternative although things did not really pan out well – en route to the Lakers missing the playoffs yet again, Lakers Nation reported.

For Stephenson, it was a bitter pill to swallow and got the28-year-old cager pretty emotional where he eventually cried. He was convinced that the Lakers had the chance to advance to the next round, likening it to the stint he had with the Indiana Pacers.

“My goal in the NBA was to make it to the Finals,” said Stephenson to The Athletic. “I was close with the Pacers. You don’t have that many chances of getting there. I felt like this was the one right here.”

It remains to be seen if Stephenson will get another chance to don the Lakers uniform. Like the situation of other vets who signed one-year deals, it may all depend on who will call the shots next season.

Although Luke Walton officially remains the head coach of the Lakers, there have been murmurs that top management may resort to a coaching change. Names that have surfaced include Doc Rivers (who denied) and Jason Kidd.

The first thing that the Lakers will have to do is figure out who will be at the coaching helm. From there, it will be up to that person to figure out who stays and who goes. Stephenson did a good job off the bench but everything will depend on the system and the type of player that the next Lakers head coach wants.

One bright spot for Stephenson is that he does have the desire to win. That is positive on his side plus the fact that he can defend and shoot when given the opportunity to do so.

If he does hit the free agent market, there are several teams who could come knocking. These are NBA ballclubs in need of a veteran who can energize a squad and in need of someone who is not afraid to do the dirty work.