Former NBA guard/forward Lance Stephenson is signing an NBA G League contract to play for the Iowa Wolves, the Timberwolves‘ affiliate, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Iowa confirmed in a press release that it has acquired Stephenson’s returning player rights from the Grand Rapids Gold (Denver’s affiliate) in exchange for the rights to Craig Randall II.
Stephenson hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since April 2022, when he finished out the 2021-22 season with the Pacers. The 33-year-old has played for eight different teams in parts of 10 seasons over the course of his career, primarily with Indiana. He also had a brief stint with Minnesota back in ’16-17.
In 554 regular season games, including 200 starts (22.9 MPG), Stephenson holds career averages of 8.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 2.9 APG on .445/.314/.694 shooting. The former second-round pick has also played professionally in China, and — most recently — Puerto Rico.
Stephenson was born in Brooklyn and he said over the summer he was hoping to make an NBA comeback with the Knicks or Nets, but a contract never came to fruition. As Scotto notes, the Timberwolves have an open roster spot, and evidently Stephenson is hoping to make a strong impression on the franchise by playing with Iowa.
Stephenson will remain an unrestricted free agent even after he joins the Iowa Wolves, as NBA contracts take precedence over NBAGL deals.
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