Charlotte Hornets guard Lance Stephenson, according to multiple reports, is being shopped around ahead of the NBA's February trade deadline. Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon, whose team has been linked to the Stephenson trade rumors, said he would be OK with the 2-guard returning to Indiana if a deal were to happen.
Stephenson left Indiana for a more lucrative contract in Charlotte, but apparently Simon doesn't hold any hard feelings toward him. In fact, if Stephenson were to become attainable, Simon wouldn't team president Larry Bird from trading for him.
"First of all, we don't know if they're really trading him, at least I don't know," Simon told the Indianapolis Star of the possibility that Charlotte is shopping Stephenson. "I know they made some calls and we would have to (figure out) how he fits back into the team. Those are all basketball decisions and Larry (Bird) and Kevin (Pritchard) are the best to answer that."
As ESPN's Nick Borges pointed out, the Pacers are around $1.5 million below the luxury tax line but Simon won't let Bird go over the threshold. That means a number of players would have to be traded to keep Indiana below the threshold, which would likely precipitate a third team becoming involved, making any potential deal that much more complicated.
Stephenson has struggled in his inaugural season with the Hornets, with most analysts pointing to chemistry issues as the reason. Grantland's Zach Lowe first reported Charlotte (6-18) were aggressively making phone calls to find a trade, and almost any player on their roster - including Stephenson - was available to be had.
ESPN confirmed Charlotte had Stephenson on the trade block but wouldn't move him for just any offer. ESPN also named the Brooklyn Nets as a second team interested in picking up the 2-guard.
Stephenson has a somewhat team-friendly contract, with his salary becoming unguaranteed after next season.
