New Orleans Pelicans sign G Lance Stephenson to one-year deal

Free-agent guard Lance Stephenson signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, multiple media outlets reported Friday.

The Pelicans had a full roster of guaranteed contracts before adding Stephenson, so there is no guarantee that Stephenson will be on the team's 15-man roster when the regular season begins.

The Pelicans would have to trade one of those players with a guaranteed deal or eat a considerable amount of money to waive a player to make room for Stephenson,

The Pelicans have been looking for a guard who can score since the announcement that Jrue Holiday will be sidelined indefinitely at the start of the season to help his wife prepare for surgery on a brain tumor.

Stephenson, 26, became a star in 2013-14 with Indiana when he averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists while starting 78 games.

Things have not gone as well for Stephenson since then. He played one season with Charlotte, then averaged 8.3 points in 2015-16 when he played for both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies. He had considerably more success with the Grizzlies, averaging 14.2 points in the 26 games he played for Memphis at the end of the season.

Stephenson became a free agent when the Grizzlies declined the team option on him.