Lance Stephenson Contract History and Career Earnings
Lance Stephenson signed a four-year, $44 million contract with the Indiana Pacers in July 2014, which included a player option for the final year and a team option for the third year, according to Spotrac. His average annual salary under that deal was $11 million, making him one of the higher-paid bench players in the Eastern Conference during that period. The contract was structured with escalating salaries, starting at $9 million in the first season and reaching $12 million in the final guaranteed year.
Before the Pacers deal, Stephenson earned a rookie-scale contract from the Charlotte Bobcats, where he was drafted 40th overall in 2010, and later signed a one-year, $3.3 million tender with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2014 after being waived. His career earnings across all NBA contracts total approximately $60 million, including guaranteed money from stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, and a brief 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021, as reported by OverTheCap.
Current Contract Status and Recent Team Affiliations
Lance Stephenson is currently a free agent with no active NBA contract as of the latest available information, having last played in the NBA regular season with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2021-22 season on a veteran minimum deal, per Basketball-Reference. He has since pursued opportunities in the NBA G League and international leagues, including a stint with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association, where his salary is not publicly disclosed in standard NBA salary databases.
His most recent NBA contract was a one-year, $2.6 million veteran minimum deal with the Hawks, which was fully guaranteed and structured under the league's veteran minimum salary rules for players with over 10 years of experience. Stephenson has not signed a new NBA contract since that deal expired, and his current status remains that of a free agent seeking a roster spot, with no reported negotiations with any team as of the latest public reports.
Contract Structure, Salary Cap Implications, and Financial Details
Lance Stephenson's 2014 Pacers contract included a $5 million signing bonus, a $1 million roster bonus, and a full guarantee structure that made all $44 million guaranteed upon signing, meaning the team absorbed the full financial commitment regardless of performance or injury, according to HoopsRumors. The contract featured a no-trade clause for the first two years and a limited no-trade provision in the final year, giving Stephenson some control over his destination during the later stages of the deal.
Under the NBA's salary cap rules at the time, Stephenson's contract counted as $11 million against the Pacers' cap space, which limited their flexibility to sign other free agents and contributed to their financial constraints during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. His cap hold remained at the full salary amount even when he was waived or traded, a standard NBA rule that applies to guaranteed contracts, and his final guaranteed salary of $12 million in the 2017-18 season made him one of the highest-paid players on a non-playoff Pacers roster.