The Pelicans will release former Lincoln High School star Lance Stephenson in order to sign former Kentucky guard Archie Goodwin, according to reports.
Goodwin, who was released by the Suns on Oct. 24, confirmed the reports on Twitter Sunday night.
A huge thanks to the @PelicansNBA organization. Forever grateful. Chapter 4 officially begins.
— Archie Goodwin (@A1Laflare10) November 7, 2016
Stephenson, a one-and-done out of Cincinnati who is New York State’s all-time leading scorer, suffered a groin injury and will undergo surgery on Tuesday in Philadelphia, agent Mark Bartelstein told ZAGSBLOG.
The 6-foot-5 Stephenson was originally signed by New Orleans on Sept. 14. In six games this season, he has averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per game.
“He has an injury that’s going to take him out for a while, but the good news is he will be back to 100 percent health and we anticipate him signing with an NBA team as soon as that happens,” Bartelstein said. “And New Orleans wanted to do everything that they could to keep him, he’s playing great for them. But because of all that the injuries they have on their roster, they couldn’t come up with a solution that made any sense other than releasing Lance to create a roster space.”
Bartelstein said Stephenson will become a free agent and that he expects him to play again this season.
“He will have a 100 percent recovery, it’s just a matter of having the surgery and allowing the healing to take place,” he said. “He’ll definitely be back with an NBA team this season.”
Not everyone was pleased with Stephenson being released. Matt Barnes went off on social media.
Wow, Matt Barnes isn’t happy about Lance Stephenson being released. pic.twitter.com/Vvs3Cw2T0o
— LegionHoops Website (@LegionWebsite) November 7, 2016
