The LA Clippers have acquired Lance Stephenson in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night and in the proposed deal Los Angeles will send Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes to Charlotte, although it's unlikely that the Hornets keep both players once the deal is completed.
Stephenson was mentioned in trade rumors this past season after signing a free agent contract in Charlotte and Los Angeles was one of the teams looking into a deal at the deadline. According to Marc Stein at ESPN.com, the teams have "have agreed in principle" on a trade with Stephenson and it should become official this week. The trade may have other compensation attached, but at first reports it looks like a trade only involving players and not draft picks.
According to Chad Ford at ESPN, the Clippers are interested in moving up in the draft this year and the move with Stephenson could be the first of many this offseason. Stephenson is a very talented offensive player, but he had a down season in Charlotte after having a career year with the Indiana Pacers and turning that into a lucrative three year deal. According to the Charlotte Observer, Hornets GM Rich Cho said that Stephenson "never fit in" with the team during his season with Charlotte.
Stephenson and the coaching staff had issues early in the season and the guard was benched multiple times late in games. Stephenson was shopped early in the season and during the trading deadline, but the Hornets did not find a deal they liked. The team now is bringing in a solid front line player in Hawes, while Barnes is a good defender and role player. Barnes may not be around long though, as Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the team likely will waive Barnes moving forward.
Wojnarowski writes that Barnes has a salary with only $1 million guaranteed next season if he is waived by the start of free agency and that is the likely outcome once the trade goes through. Barnes has $3.5 million left on his contract for one season and if he is waived, Barnes will become a free agent. Stephenson had a tough year with the Hornets, averaging just eight points per game with four rebounds and four assists after putting up career bests with 13 points and seven rebounds per game with the Pacers.
Stephenson has been called selfish by some with the Pacers after his run last year and he reportedly contributed to the discord within that locker room. Stephenson is a strong offensive talent, but he did not shoot well last season after hitting nearly 50 percent of his shots with Indiana the previous year. Stephenson needs to find his touch again and with the Clippers potentially losing DeAndre Jordan and other players, the team needs to get deeper and Stephenson helps that.
Hawes could end up as a strong addition for the Hornets in the deal, as he has plenty of talent and he did not get the chance to play much in LA, averaging five points and three rebounds per game. Hawes did not play much in the playoffs and now he has the chance to work alongside Al Jefferson in Charlotte.
