The NBA trade deadline is roughly one month away, and now is the time when teams start realistically evaluating their playoff chances and deciding what moves need to be made. Contenders start shopping for that final piece of the puzzle, and lesser teams look to dump salary or move players that have not fit into their system.
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At the top of the list of players that have been a poor fit for a new system this season is Lance Stephenson, and the Charlotte Hornets looked to be on the verge of parting ways with their biggest free agent acquisition during the offseason, according to ESPN. Now, however, that trade looks less likely.
The Hornets were reportedly discussing a three-team trade with the Brooklyn Nets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Under the proposed terms of the trade, Brooklyn would receive Stephenson, Oklahoma City would receive Brooklyn's Brook Lopez, and Charlotte would receive Jarrett Jack from Brooklyn and Jeremy Lamb and Grant Jerrett from Oklahoma City.
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Now, it appears that Charlotte is out of the deal, and OKC and Brooklyn are discussing a Brook Lopez trade amongst themselves. The deal is believed to be centered around a Lopez for Kendrick Perkins swap between the two teams. There is no word at this time on why Charlotte backed out of the deal, as earlier reports indicated that Charlotte and OKC were ready to pull the trigger on the trade, and both teams were waiting on Brooklyn to okay the move.
Stephenson was one of the most prized free agents from last year's class, but he has disappointed in Charlotte. He has been an inefficient shooter, and there are rumors of discord between Stephenson and his teammates. Charlotte has been listening to offers for the shooting guard since the middle of December.
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