Lakers news: Lance Stephenson agrees to a deal with Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Lakers have begun building a roster around superstar LeBron James with Lance Stephenson being the next veteran to join him.

The Los Angeles Lakers are going all out this summer to revamp the team and build what can eventually be a legitimate title contender in the Western Conference. The storied franchise took a giant step in the right direction toward their goal with LeBron James agreeing to sign with the team and now the front office is trying to put the right pieces together around the three-time NBA champion.

Not long after the team agreed to a deal with LeBron and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the next move was surprising. Los Angeles has reportedly come to terms with Lance Stephenson, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Lance Stephenson has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell Yahoo.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2018

Stephenson has had quite a history with LeBron during playoff matchups between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers. Stephenson has always been an irritant for James, but the perennial All-Star still came out on top during on-court battles.

It's highly unlikely the Lakers brass didn't talk to their new face of the franchise about this addition. If it was a problem, there's no way it would be happening as there must be respect between the two players.

Stephenson will reportedly sign for one-year at $4.5 million, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Lance Stephenson have agreed to a 1-year, $4.5 million deal, league sources told The Athletic.

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 2, 2018

Last season, Stephenson played in all 82 games for the Pacers and had somewhat of a bounce-back year after a forgettable 2016-17 season in which he played for three different teams. He hasn't been able to find a new home in the NBA for longer than a year since leaving Indiana in free agency back in 2014 with short stints with the Charlotte Hornets, L.A. Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, and second stop with the Pacers.

The 27-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game for the Pacers while shooting 42.7 percent from the floor and 28.9 percent from three-point range.