Charlotte Hornets: Is Lance Stephenson Brooklyn-Bound?

Not one. Two.

Two pictures.

It’s never smart to read too much into social media, but even something like an athlete’s Instagram can be a good supplementary source for mid-season trade speculation, especially in the prime of what is known as “trade season.”

Such is the case with Charlotte Hornets’ guard Lance Stephenson, who has reportedly been on the trade block for about a week and a half now.

There have been a few names tossed into the hat as potential landing spots for the 24-year-old guard; however, the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets have emerged as the two prime candidates to bring in the former triple-double leader.

And of those two, it’s been the Nets who have been the more aggressive trade-seekers thus far, reportedly looking to dump their aging, injury-prone, and expensive core of Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez, and Deron Williams.

All three have garnered a good deal of interest around the league, but Charlotte has primarily been linked to Johnson, a veteran shooting guard and former All-Star known for his isolation scoring and three-point shooting. Stephenson, as expected, has been inserted into trade rumors involving the Nets’ swingman.

Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors, but Stephenson’s Instagram post on Sunday night certainly raised a few questions about his future in Charlotte.

It is important to note that Stephenson is a Brooklyn native, but still, it seems unlikely that the post — coming in the midst of a storm of trade rumors — is simply incidental, especially considering that he expressed interest with playing for the Brooklyn Nets last week (according to RealGM).

And this wasn’t Stephenson’s first Brooklyn-related post… just a day earlier, Lance posted this:

Stephenson has been sidelined for the past three games after aggravating a groin injury in Charlotte’s home-loss to Phoenix. The Hornets, who were 6-19 prior to Stephenson going down, have now won three in a row, all blowout wins.

The Hornets have looked more like last year’s 43-win team without Stephenson — a free-agent addition from the summer — in the lineup.

It has been reported that Indiana, Stephenson’s former team that he snubbed during his unrestricted free agency, has lost interest in trading for the swingman after a locker-room survey indicated that most of his former teammates wouldn’t be so welcoming of the talented but hot-headed wing.

With that, it wouldn’t be surprising if the talks with Brooklyn subsequently began to heat up. If the Hornets are really looking for a deal that would give them the best shot at a playoff spot this year, Johnson could be their guy.

Once again, this is purely speculative, and recent reports have indicated that Charlotte isn’t shopping Stephenson nearly as aggressively as it may have appeared at first. Still, if the Hornets can play at a high level without him, there won’t be a reason (at least, in the eyes of Michael Jordan) to keep him around.

Stephenson has been visibly frustrated on the court this year, yet to find a rhythm with backcourt mate Kemba Walker. Lance has been playing poorly, and his team has been losing … a combination thats far from optimal for any NBA player. If he is, indeed, on his way out, him being excited wouldn’t come as a surprise.

Rajon Rondo and Josh Smith are two big names that have already parted ways with their respective clubs, and it’s quite possible that Stephenson is next.

But for now, we’ll just have to sit back, wait and enjoy Charlotte’s success — arguably the best Christmas present of all.

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