The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly interested to make a deal with the Charlotte Hornets, swapping center Brook Lopez for mercurial shooting guard Lance Stephenson, according to Alex Raskin of Wall Street Journal.
The Nets, who have been eager to dispatch some of their pricey players in the coming weeks, are very much intrigued of Stephenson, who is a Brooklyn Native. And apparently, they are willing to part ways with Lopez in exchange for the shooting guard's service.
"The 26-year-old Lopez, whose seven seasons with the Nets make him the team's longest-tenured player, has been mentioned in trade talks between the Nets and Charlotte Hornets, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports," via Wall Street Journal.
"The Nets would theoretically take back swingman and Brooklyn native Lance Stephenson in any deal with Charlotte."
The 26-year old Lopez is still producing decent numbers, averaging 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 block this season. However, he has been plagued with injuries the past three seasons (foot & back injuries). The former Stanford standout is pocketing $15.7M next season, and could get roughly the same amount next season by exercising a players' option.
Stephenson, on the other hand, was coming off a breakout season (13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game with the Pacers) that helped him land a three-year, $27 million deal with Charlotte during the off-season. But instead of becoming an All-Star, Stephenson struggled mightily through the one and half month with the Hornets, as he averages 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and shots a career-low 39 percent from the field.
According to Zach Lowe of Grantland, the Hornets are searching for a shooting guard and a shooting power forward that would give Al Jefferson more space in the interior. A hypothetical trade scenario is the Hornets sending Stephenson and Marvin Williams for Lopez and Mirza Telotovic, who is averaging 10.7 points and 34 percent from beyond the three-point line.
Of course, no trade is imminent between teams and sources indicated the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks have also joined the fray for Stephenson.
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