Grizzlies' Lance Stephenson: Team option declined

Stephenson is set to become an unrestricted free agent, as the Grizzlies opted to decline his $9.4 million team option for the 2016-17 season, Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports reports.

Analysis:

After averaging just 16 minutes with the Clippers for the first half of the 2015-16 season, Stephenson saw a vastly increased role in his final 25 games after being traded to the Grizzlies, posting averages of 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists over 27 minutes. Despite seeing improvements while playing with the Grizzlies, they've opted to let him go, but there's still interest between the two sides to reach a mutually beneficial deal once unrestricted free agency begins. However, if Stephenson sees a higher contract offer elsewhere, he very well could bolt for the better deal.