Clippers Looking to Trade Lance Stephenson, Would Indiana Consider It?

The Los Angeles Clippers began looking to dump Lance Stephenson almost as soon as they traded for him.

The Los Angeles Clippers are looking to move former Indiana Pacers swingman Lance Stephenson, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports. This summer, the team — which has been making questionable personnel decisions ever since Don Sterling was ousted, Microsoft billionaire Steve Ballmer bought the team, and Doc Rivers took over total decision-making — traded for Stephenson, but it looks like they started to have other thoughts before he even saw much time on the court.

"The Los Angeles Clippers gauged trade interest in Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith last month, league sources told Yahoo Sports.Stephenson can be traded now while Smith is not eligible to be dealt until Dec. 15 after signing as a free agent in the offseason. Two NBA executives told Yahoo Sports that the Clippers would have hard time trading the struggling newcomers who have not fit in well during the team’s slow start."

Then comes the most relevant part for Pacers fans.

While the Pacers don’t have much to offer in the way of a trade, at least one executive thinks there is “not much of a market” for Lance and that “maybe Lance goes back to Indiana.”

"The Clippers haven’t been as active in trying to move Stephenson and Smith in recent days because of the team’s injuries, another source said. “There is not much of a market for them,” one NBA executive said. “They are buyout candidates. Maybe Lance goes back to Indiana, you never know. You won’t get back much for them.”Said another team’s front-office executive: “They are talented, but when you add people like that it does affect the chemistry of their team. I don’t think they will be traded. It’s a tough thing to do because they didn’t have a lot of takers beforehand.”"

In some ways, this just sounds like the same chatter we heard last season when the Charlotte Hornets were trying to move Lance. The logic seems sound enough: The team he’s on doesn’t want him, no other team really wants him, and he has a history with Indiana, so perhaps Larry Bird decides his talent is worth the potential disruption that a return would bring.

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But speculation is just that and doesn’t signify that this source is doing anything but speculating.

On the other hand, Bird did really like Stephenson at one point and he may be able to get past the ear-blowing and other late-season antics that strained Lance’s relationship with the front office. While those things certainly contributed to the team seeing him differently, Bird did reportedly offer Stephenson $11 million per year to stay. So it clearly wasn’t a deal-breaker.

Ultimately, though, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

If the Clippers are so disillusioned that Bird could get Lance back for, say, Solomon Hill straight up (and salary filler) then maybe that would be realistic. But Sir Lance-a-lot really wouldn’t fit into this rotation at that well. In Monta Ellis and Rodney Stuckey, the team already has two drive-first playmakers who struggle to shoot from distance. And there really isn’t room for a third on a team that is trying to have spacing and shooting on the floor.

So more than anything related to character or history, he just doesn’t fit anymore. The Pacers have changed and trading for Lance Stephenson would just be making a move for nostalgia’s sake that doesn’t make this current roster much better.