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Lance Stephenson Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz, Speculation Surrounding Hornets Star
The Charlotte Hornets made a calculated gamble when they signed Lance Stephenson last offseason. After one season, it looks as though the gambit has failed spectacularly, and the Hornets may already be trying to get the veteran 2-guard off their books.
Continue for updates.
Clippers, Hornets Working on Stephenson Trade
Monday, June 15
According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Los Angeles Clippers are considering trading for Stephenson this summer, sending Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes to Charlotte in return. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer confirmed the report.
ESPN's Chris Broussard added that the deal could be done in the next few days:
Chris Broussard@Chris_Broussard
Sources: Hornets ready to do the Lance Stephenson for Spencer Hawes/Matt Barnes deal. Clippers deliberating. Decision expected w/in 48 hrs
Stephenson regressed in a big way this past year, averaging 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists a night, all of which were drops from their 2013-14 equivalents. His three-point shooting also fell from 35.2 percent a year ago to an almost-unfathomable 17.1 percent during the regular season.
According to NBA.com, the Hornets were 5.5 points better offensively per 100 possessions when Stephenson was off the floor.
Should the Clippers follow through with this trade, they'd essentially be taking the same leap of faith that Charlotte did last offseason.
Stephenson can be erratic at times on the court. But there's no question that if he's focused in and channeling his Indiana Pacers self, Los Angeles would be getting the perimeter defender and wing scorer it sorely needs to truly become an NBA title contender.
Plus, he's on an extremely reasonable deal. The 24-year-old will make $9 million in 2015-16 and then has a club option for 2016-17. That's a bargain if Stephenson improves even a little bit next year.
Fox Sports' D.J. Foster believes that the team wouldn't have much trouble pulling the plug if things took a turn for the worse:
D.J. Foster @FOXSportsFoster
As long as no picks are involved, you can always just waive Lance if it doesn't work out and you effectively dump Hawes/Barnes contract.
Looking at the Hornets' potential haul, you do have to wonder whether trading Stephenson is worth taking on Barnes and Hawes, Hawes in particular.
Barnes is a free agent in a year, so at least he's only a one-year commitment. Hawes, meanwhile, will earn a little over $11 million for the next two years, and he's got a player option worth $6 million in 2017. That's a lot of money to play a player who averaged 17.5 minutes a night on a team that wasn't exactly lush with bench help.
CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie wonders if the Hornets would look to get addition compensation for taking on Hawes' contract:
Since it's out in the open that Charlotte is ready to offload Stephenson for a relatively small price tag, more teams might join in on the trade discussion, even if the situation is moving extremely quickly.
Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie
Kinda think Charlotte would be better off waiving Stephenson than taking back that Hawes deal unless there are significant picks involved.
Plenty of potential playoff contenders would be smart to at least entertain the idea of adding Stephenson despite the obvious risks.
