On the afternoon of June 15th, a deal was made between the Clippers and the Hornets made a deal that could potentially give the Clippers what they need to get to the next level. Charlotte guard Lance Stephenson was traded to the Clippers in exchange for center Spencer Hawes and forward Matt Barnes. For the Hornets, this deal could be beneficial in a number of ways:
1) Hawes could make an impact right away.
The consistently shot making Hawes could provide the Hornets with someone who could stretch the floor. With the Clippers , Hawes was limited in his role due to DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, and Glen Davis being the main players within the big man rotation. During the playoffs, Hawes was not in the rotation.
The Hornets currently have an inside dominant force in Al Jefferson as the starting center. With Hawes added to the team, he provides a contrasting style with more of a finesse game. This style of play can cause havoc for a team if both are on the floor at the same time because the defense would have to worry about an inside the paint big man as well as a mid-range one. With power forwards Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh, the Hornets seem to have a solid big man rotation for the next few years.
2) Matt Barnes will free up space for next year.
Matt Barnes (35) is approaching the final years of his career. After this season, he will become an unrestricted free agent. Whether the Hornets choose to re-sign him is yet to be seen, they (and every other team in the NBA) are trying to create as much cap space as possible in order to land a big time free agent in the off-season of 2016. Choosing to not re-sign Barnes would give the Hornets a little more flexibility. In the meantime, Barnes is a tough player that plays hard and protects his teammates.
Is Stephenson the final piece of the puzzle?
For years the Los Angeles Clippers have been considered a top five team talent wise by many. With that being said , the Clippers have failed to even reach the Western Conference Finals. What's one of the Clipper's problem? They lack a third scorer and playmaker.
With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin leading the team, the Clippers already have two stars that combined average 45 points, 15 assist, and 11 rebounds per game. The Clips also have a rebounding machine in DeAndre Jordan who averaged 15 rebounds per game this past season. Off of the bench, a player by the name of Jamal Crawford averages 16 points per game. Add a player that plays defense, scores , rebounds, and assist like Stephenson, and the Clips look even more dangerous than they did before. What's the main concern for the Clips when dealing with Stephenson?? His mind.
When Stephenson is focused and comfortable with his situation on a team, he has proven to be productive. In his last season as a Pacer, Stephenson averaged 13 points, 7 boards, and 4 assist. Throughout that season, Stephenson even managed to get a few triple-doubles. However, when he is not necessarily happy in his situation, he productivity lowers. In just one season, Stephenson went from averaging 13 points to just 8. After feeling disrespected by the Pacers, Stephenson signed with the Hornets last off-season. Joining a team that currently has a legendary and caring coach such as Doc Rivers, Stephenson could turn his productivity back up to his Pacer days. Doc Rivers and Chris Paul will try to do everything they can to make Stephenson feel comfortable. The real question pertaining to Stephenson, is whether or not he could adapt and find his role on this deep Clippers team.
The flip side to this situation is that if Stephenson does not connect with the team, he could become a distraction to the team. Stephenson has a past of voicing his problems to the media and in the locker room in his Pacer days. The Clippers hope that such behavior is now a thing of the past for Stephenson, as he is now a Clipper.
