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Clippers Looking To Trade For Lance Stephenson?

By Michael Dunlap

Nov 28, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Lance Stephenson (1) complains after being called for a foul during the second half of the game against the Golden State Warriors at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 106-101. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Lance Stephenson (1) complains after being called for a foul during the second half of the game against the Golden State Warriors at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 106-101. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Remember Lance Stephenson? The former Indiana Pacers stud landed in Charlotte with a resounding thud in 2014-15, which left a terrible taste in the mouth of Michael Jordan and the rest of the Charlotte Hornets staff. Only a year after arriving, reports have surfaced that the Hornets are considering moving Stephenson to the Los Angeles Clippers.

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According to Wojnarowski, the Clippers would send Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes to the Hornets.

It’s hard to call Stephenson the “prize” of this potential deal when we look at his performance from last season, but we can’t forget that Lance is young, talented and showed a ton of potential for the Pacers back in 2013-14.

Stephenson, the 6-foot-5 guard out of Brooklyn, put together one of the worst seasons we’ve ever seen in 2014-15. He averaged 8.2 points with a shooting line of .376/.171/.627, with a PER of 8.8. Of players who played more than 1500 minutes and had a PER of 9.0 or worse, only Allan Houston (1993-94) and Charlie Scott (1979-80) put up a worse win share than Stephenson’s -0.9.

That’s the bad — there is some good to be seen. Stephenson is still just 24 years old. He did put up 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists with a shooting line of .491/.352/.711 with the Pacers in 2013-14. He had five triple-doubles during the season and was often tasked with hounding the opposing team’s best wing. He showed glimpses — albeit brief — last season, as shown in this video:

The Clippers can look at this trade as a way to unload Hawes and his horrendous contract — he’s owed another $16.3 million over the next three years — and a way to sever ties with Barnes, who seems to be known more for his persona than his actual basketball skill lately.

Charlotte could use some of that toughness gritty play villainous aura from Barnes and the fact that Hawes is a 7-footer who can shoot the three (35.1 percent career) means they could free up some space for Al Jefferson in the paint.

It’s almost as if we’ve got two organizations admitting defeat, trading their bad choices for another. Actually, that would be precisely the case.

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