Stephenson officially joins Hornets

Jul 18, 2014 - 5:43 PM Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - The Charlotte Hornets officially signed free agent guard Lance Stephenson on Friday.

Stephenson tweeted Wednesday that he was looking forward "to the next phase of my career and the wonderful opportunity to continue to grow as a player and as a person in Charlotte!"

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed by the Hornets on Friday, but reports earlier this week indicated that the 23-year-old Stephenson has signed a three-year, $27 million contract that includes a team option for the final season.

He turned down a five-year, $44 million offer from the Pacers after helping Indiana reach the Eastern Conference finals in back-to-back seasons, according to reports.

"We are extremely excited to add Lance to our team," said Hornets general manager Rich Cho in a statement. "He is a great up-and-coming player with an incredibly high ceiling. He is an exceptional athlete who has the versatility and skill to play multiple positions on both offense and defense. We believe he will be an outstanding addition to our roster."

Stephenson averaged career highs in points (13.8), rebounds (7.2), assists (4.6) and minutes (35.3) in 78 games this past season.

Questions about Stephenson's behavior were raised during the Eastern Conference finals after he blew into the ear of LeBron James during Game 5 and got into a tussle with teammate Evan Turner in practice.

He was fined twice for flopping in the series and was whistled for 14 technical fouls during the regular season, fourth-most in the league.

Stephenson owns career averages of 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists across four seasons with Indiana.