For now, Paul George remains with the Indiana Pacers. And Lance Stephenson, who’s on his second stint with the team, would like for it to stay that way.
On Wednesday afternoon, Stephenson posted on Instagram, his favorite social media platform, a plea directly to the four-time All-Star whose agent informed Pacers President Kevin Pritchard that he would not re-sign in Indianapolis and that his preferred destination is back home with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The message from Lance: “I’m not letting u leave bro. Stay home bro. We did big things let’s continue.”
That led to a back-and-forth conversation with Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas. He has been actively recruiting talent, working to get All-Stars like Gordon Hayward and Blake Griffin to Boston.
The exchange with Thomas can be seen below:
This wasn’t the first time Stephenson, who’s under contract with the Pacers for two more seasons, had pushed for PG to stay in Indy. He addressed George potentially leaving several times in April.
“We don’t want him to leave. I want him to stay,” Stephenson said after their Game 4 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. “That’s like my brother.
“We just got to keep building here. Don’t give up on the organization and keep pushing. I feel like we have something good going [here].”
[Paul George remains a Pacer (for now), but message sent to team officials stings]
It may be a last-minute Hail Mary, but there’s no use in not even trying. Stephenson is back home in Brooklyn, while George went on a family vacation to Costa Rica.