The Charlotte Hornets may look at a Lance Stephenson trade at the NBA trading deadline and teams like the Brooklyn Nets, NY Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat could be potential targets for a deal, as Stephenson is an offensive talent that is having a down season in Charlotte after signing a free agent deal last summer.
Stephenson has had an up and down season with the Hornets and he has been shopped in trades multiples times already this year. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Stephenson was shopped back in December and the Hornets did not get any deals they liked and then later on the team discussed a three team deal involving Stephenson. The Nets were interested in a deal back then and they have been looking at trading Brook Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson this season and could pick up on that at the deadline.
Stephenson is a wildly talented player, but he has had issues on and off the court with maturity, including last year with the Pacers. Stephenson was reportedly the reason behind some of the discord within the team and that is why they did not sign him back this summer. The Hornets signed Stephenson to a three year deal this summer and they hoped that he could join Al Jefferson to bring the team back to the playoffs. The team made it last year as the Bobcats, but they have struggled overall this season.
Stephenson has plenty of offensive talent and he may need a change of scenery to get things going. This season Stephenson is averaging just nine points per game along with five rebounds and five assists and he is shooting 37 percent from the field. Those numbers are a stark drop-off from what he did with Indiana, including last season when he averaged a career high 13 points with seven rebounds and four assists while playing in 35 minutes per game and shooting a career best 49 percent.
The Brooklyn Nets nearly pulled off a three team deal earlier in the season for Stephenson that would have been with the OKC Thunder and Brook Lopez, but that deal fell through. The nets still could be an option for Stephenson, as he is from Brooklyn and the team is looking to ditch salary. The Nets have shopped Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson this season and they could look at dumping some of that money and picking up a cheaper option like Stephenson. The mercurial star is from Brooklyn and could be a draw after his days at Lincoln High School.
Stephenson is one of the top options at the trade deadline and players like Norris Cole, Jose Calderon and Gerald Green are also being shopped around this year. The Hornets have a young team and Michael Wilbon on ESPN suggested that a move to a team like the Miami Heat with more veterans could be a better environment for Stephenson. The Cavaliers are looking at adding more to the wing, but Stephenson likely is not an option with how well the Cavs have been flowing since getting LeBron back from an injury and adding Timofey Mozgov and JR Smith.