Free agent Lance Stephenson who was playing for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers last season has potentially reached a one-year, four-million-U.S.-dollar deal with the CBA's Liaoning Flying Leopards, reported Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

If he signs the deal, Stephenson will become the highest-paid foreign player in the history of the Chinese basketball league.

Previously there were reports about the Flying Leopards reaching out to Stephenson which the team's head coach Guo Shiqiang did not deny. Although Guo did say that Stephenson was only one of the candidates his team was paying attention to.

Stephenson going to the CBA would be a real surprise because he is only 29 years-old, has not suffered any big injuries so far in his career and is totally capable of earning a spot on an NBA team. In the 16.5 minutes he averaged playing for the purple and gold last season, Stephenson scored 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists while maintaining a 3-point rate of 37.1 percent. His athleticism and strength also made him a good defender.

One of the reasons that no NBA team wanted to sign Stephenson could have something to do with his character. As passionate as he is for the game, Stephenson has also been well-known for his controversial behavior – the most famous incident happened in the 2014 playoffs when he blew in the ear of LeBron James. During his time playing for the Indiana Pacers, there were also reports about Stephenson arguing with teammates about ball possessions. Coach Guo will have to figure out a way to maximizing his power on the court without hurting the team in the locker room.

Having let Lester Hudson go in the off-season, the Flying Leopards were looking for new foreign player pair. The team already decided to keep Brandon Bass, who should be able to make a very competitive championship-chasing unit with Stephenson and Guo Ailun.