Almost as soon as the Charlotte Hornets signed Lance Stephenson they wanted to trade him.
That itself is almost a true story.
Now that Dec. 15 has come to pass and NBA free agents who signed contracts over the summer can be traded, the Hornets are ready to move Stephenson, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein:
Charlotte Hornets swingman Lance Stephenson becomes eligible to be traded Monday and his new team is indeed exploring its options to move him, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Hornets, just 23 games into the Stephenson era, have already begun the process of searching for potential trade partners that would be willing to take the talented but enigmatic former Indiana Pacer off their? hands.
Although sources say no deal involving Stephenson is imminent, Monday is the first day that players signed to new contracts in July are eligible to be dealt, which typically triggers what teams leaguewide regard as “trade season” over the next two months leading into the annual February trade deadline. …
Sources say that the Hornets are not in a move-him-at-all-costs mode with Stephenson but made it clear that Charlotte is ready now to abandon the experiment if a palatable deal presents itself.
No surprises here. Reports began surfacing long before Dec. 15 that the Hornets would be open to moving Stephenson. The willingness to move him isn’t a surprise either. The Hornets have underachieved like whoa this season. Many had them climbing up the Eastern Conference ladder after securing a postseason berth last year and adding Stephenson and Marvin Williams to a core that included Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson over the summer. But the Hornets have been Bobcats-esque early on. They have the East’s fourth-worst record and are already 4.5 games outside the playoff picture, with no guarantee they turn things around in time to make a postseason run.
Stephenson himself has been underperforming. His scoring totals are down, and he’s shooting under 40 percent from the floor as well as under 20 percent from deep. But while his trade value has plummeted, he’s not immovable. His deal is a reasonable one. He’ll earn $9 million this season and next, at which point his incumbent team has the option of retaining him or sending him packing.
As for what teams may be interested in brokering a trade, we turn to the all-powerful Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
After brief contact w/ Hornets, Nets and Clippers researching Stephenson's time in Charlotte, but yet to show serious interest, sources say.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 14, 2014
After brief contact w/ Hornets, Nets and Clippers researching Stephenson's time in Charlotte, but yet to show serious interest, sources say.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 14, 2014
The Indiana Pacers, Stephenson’s former team, make sense. They have the ability to reenter the playoff bubble with him in tow this season, and after Paul George returns next year they’ll be left with the same starting lineup that clinched consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances.
Doc Rivers’ Los Angeles Clippers are an interesting fit, but they have little in the way of assets. Acquiring Stephenson would likely cost them one or two of Jamal Crawford, Spencer Hawes and J.J. Redick. The Brooklyn Nets, being thin on assets are in a similar boat. Joe Johnson would likely need to be the centerpiece of any deal they strike.
Stay tuned, though. The NBA’s unofficial trade season is underway. Now is the time when things could get weird.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
