Pacers, Hornets Talk About Lance Stephenson Trade Back to Indiana

There is a rumor in the air of Lance Stephenson returning to the Indiana Pacers.

No, this isn’t a joke.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports there hasn’t been a lot of traction so far, but the two clubs are talking about the possibility of sending Lance Stephenson back to Indiana.

Both Marc Stein and Zach Lowe have written about how the Hornets have been shopping Stephenson, but it seemed the likelihood of  the shooting guard making a return to the Hoosier State so soon would be far-fetched dream for Pacers fans. Other writers including Brian Windhorst have confirmed the Pacers would be interested in acquiring Stephenson to  jump-starting their 23rd ranked offense.

UPDATE: Woj has expanded upon his report at Yahoo Sports.

"Indiana hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing back Stephenson, but appears unwilling to seriously engage the Hornets without the inclusion of a first-round pick in a potential deal, sources told Yahoo Sports … Charlotte reached out to Indiana on a potential Stephenson deal and has been pushing to generate an ongoing conversation, sources said. Indiana knows there’s significant trepidation about Stephenson around the league, and knows him better than anyone. They’ve acted with little urgency on the matter, understanding they would own all the leverage in talks on Stephenson, league sources said.When the Hornets first proposed a deal to reunite Stephenson with Indiana, the Pacers suggested the discussion start with two future first-round picks, league sources said. Make no mistake: The Pacers understand they can negotiate from a position of strength.There are no trade proposals in serious discussion, nor is any deal for Stephenson imminent."

UPDATE II: Marc Stein, writing for ESPN.com, added more nuance.

"Sources say that the Hornets are not in a move-him-at-all-costs mode with Stephenson but made it clear that Charlotte is ready now to abandon the experiment if a palatable deal presents itself.One factor that could ultimately lead to a deal, despite Stephenson’s ragged and discouraging start, is the fact that the three-year, $27 million deal he received over the summer from Charlotte owner Michael Jordan is only guaranteed through next season. The third year of the deal is not guaranteed, which theoretically enhances Charlotte’s chances of finding another team willing to gamble ‎on the mercurial swingman."

Sources say that the Hornets are not in a move-him-at-all-costs mode with Stephenson but made it clear that Charlotte is ready now to abandon the experiment if a palatable deal presents itself.

If this trade were to happen, Indiana has to be hoping the change of scenery (return of scenery)  would spark Lance’s poor offensive play.  So far this season Stephenson his having is worst as a starter, shooting only 38.9%, nearly 10% worse than last season when he was with the Pacers. By pretty much by any metric, Stephenson is having a terrible season in Charlotte and the entire Hornets team is struggling. Nothing can happen until midnight when players who signed free-agent contracts are eligible to be traded.

A trade like his wouldn’t be unprecedented,  even for the Pacers.

In the summer before the 1996-97 season Indiana traded Mark Jackson to the Denver Nuggets, only to have him traded back in February of that same season. The Pacers may not with many more games even with Lance, but it would be much more entertaining.

Right now it is all talk, but fans can dream — or consider a nightmare, depending on their outlook.