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NBA Trade Deadline 2015: Does “Lance Stephenson to Raptors” make sense?

By Brian Boake

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BACKGROUND

The Charlotte Hornets were considered instant contenders in the off-season when Lance Stephenson signed with them as a free agent. Stephenson, a 6’5″ shooting guard who weighs in at a chunky 235 lbs., had been hotly pursued by a number of teams, although only half-heartedly by the incumbent Indiana Pacers. [20-second timeout: Top Indy man Larry Bird was reportedly not impressed with Lance blowing in the ear of LeBron James(!) to distract him during the playoffs. Bird, a insanely great player, would have given his defender an elbow in the kisser had that stunt been tried on him in his playing days.]

A funny thing happened to Charlotte on the way to a playoff berth. Lance has been a bust, and has been discussed as a trade candidate for months. With the NBA trade deadline 2015 nearly upon us, let’s consider whether the Toronto Raptors can, or should, make a pitch for him.

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TRADE DETAILS

Make no mistake – Lance has a big mountain to climb before he can convince any team to deal for him. His breakout season of ’13-’14 seems like a decade ago, as his scoring and rebounding numbers are badly down this season (13.8 to 9, 7.2 to 5.6, respectively). Lance’s 3-point shooting percentage is a ghastly 15.2 (12 of 79), and his PER is 9.0. I can throw more bad numbers at you, but I won’t. There’s only one question to consider: who is the real Lance Stephenson – the hero of Indy, or the zero of Charlotte?

Feb 4, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey talks with NBA referee Kari Lane (77) during the fourth quarter in a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Air Canada Centre. The Brooklyn Nets won 109-93. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

If the Raps are going to take Lance on, they better be convinced he can once again be a contributor; his free-agent deal has two more seasons to run, at $9M per. Offering the expiring contracts of Landry Fields and Chuck Hayes would probably be sufficient for the Hornets, who just want Lance out the door and haven’t exactly been swamped with offers. Besides, the Trade Machine forecasts this trade will have no impact on either team, which is perhaps the most damning evidence I’ve yet seen of how wretched Lance’s play has been.

VERDICT

Masai Ujiri has been adamant that he won’t mess with team chemistry. The acquisition of Stephenson would be a significant break with that philosophy, as Lance’s impact is unknowable, but not promising. There’s no doubt he’d be a distraction, commencing with his reaction to being on the bench to start games. Masai as GM is under no obligation to tell his coach, Dwane Casey, who our team is going to acquire in trade. However, in practical terms, a consensus-minded GM like Masai would always consult Dwane, particularly if the coach is going to be asked to deal with a ball-sticking underachiever like Lance Stephenson. Whether Dwane would claim he’d enjoy the challenge of turning Lance around, or say he doesn’t need the headache, is difficult to guess.

I suspect Masai isn’t terribly interested in trading for Stephenson, and I don’t blame him. If I were the Raps’ GM, I’d be asking everyone who’s ever had even trivial contact with Lance whether he can be rehabilitated. Dumping expiring contracts for a young player who was thisclose to All-Star status recently is very tempting. Ultimately, I’d turn thumbs-down. If Lance can’t be reformed, paying him $18M over the next two years would be a nightmare.

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