Insider: It was fun while it lasted, but the Pacers and Lance Stephenson should part ways

INDIANAPOLIS — Lance Stephenson's triumphant return to Indiana was a joy to witness. After being out of the NBA for two seasons, he joined the G League to claw his way back, first signing a 10-day contract with the Hawks and then a string of 10-day deals with the Pacers before they finally signed him for the rest of the 2021-22 season.

In true Stephenson fashion, he gave Pacers fans plenty to remember. He scored an NBA-record 20 first-quarter points off the bench against the Nets on Jan. 5, dished a career-high 14 assists against the Jazz three days later and threw a behind-the-back pass that led to an Oshae Brissett poster dunk against the Trail Blazers on March 20, arguably the team's most exciting play of the season.

"This is home," Stephenson said after his record-setting game against Brooklyn. "I still got my house here. I never left here, so it's amazing to play here. This is like playing in front of my family."

Stephenson was sincere, but as heartwarming and fun as it was, it can't last forever.

He becomes an unrestricted free agent Thursday, and while his third stint with the Pacers was memorable, Stephenson's age and skill set don't fit with a young team that's going through a rebuild, so Indiana should not re-sign him.

"It's something to be talked about," Stephenson said in his season-ending interview. "We're gonna talk a lot in the offseason, try to figure out something."

If we're being realistic, though, there's nothing to figure out. Stephenson's time is up.

The 6-6 swingman, who turns 32 in September, thrives off having the ball in his hands. It's the main reason he was able to have those performances last season. However, Indiana already has a slew of ball-handlers — star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, backup point guard T.J. McConnell, second-year guards Chris Duarte and Duane Washington Jr., and veteran guards Buddy Hield and Malcolm Brogdon (at least for now) — and the team just added two more ball-handlers through the draft, Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin and Gonzaga's Andrew Nembhard.

Stephenson averaged 18.6 minutes in 40 games for the Pacers last season, but it's highly unlikely he'll have that large of a role with a healthy McConnell returning to the lineup and a pair of rookies poised to make an immediate impact.

"The word that stands out for me is feel,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, describing Nembhard during the rookies' introductory press conference. “He's just got an amazing feel for the game. I love point guards. I've had the real privilege of working with some great, great point guards. I mean, Jason Kidd, we won a championship with Jason Kidd, we had J.J. Barea on that team. Jason Terry was a point guard that converted to a scoring guard. I see some of all those qualities in Andrew."

To me, that doesn't sound like a player who's going to be riding the bench, and of course Mathurin — Indiana's highest draft pick in 34 years — will receive a significant amount of playing time as well.

I know some of you are probably asking, "Well, why can't they just bring Lance back on a one-year, minimum deal while he mentors the younger players?” In theory that sounds good. It's a move I'm sure he would welcome. But at his core, Stephenson was never meant to just be a locker room guy and cheerleader.

The passion he has for basketball comes from playing it — as evidenced by air guitars after 3-pointers, shimmies after dazzling passes and high-fives with fans after and-ones — so to take that away just so Stephenson stays with the franchise that drafted him 40th overall in 2010 isn't the answer.

Both sides would be better off understanding that his third run with the Pacers was mutually beneficial but not permanent. He injected life into an otherwise abysmal season in Indiana, while still proving he can be a productive NBA player.

Stephenson averaged 9.3 points, 3.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds with the Pacers, and I'm sure another team around the league could use him and, better yet, play him.

"It's gonna be a great, interesting free agency," Stephenson said in April. "I'm just looking forward to it, just keeping my body strong and sharp. I'm very mad that the season is actually over because I feel great right now. I feel like I could keep going."

And Stephenson will keep going, just not here in Indiana, where the fans will hate to see him leave but always welcome Born Ready back "home” when he visits.

Follow IndyStar Pacers beat writer James Boyd on Twitter: @RomeovilleKid. Reach him via email: jboyd1@gannett.com.