The Charlotte Hornets have reportedly taken Lance Stephenson off the trade block. Chris Broussard and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported the 2-guard is off the market "for now," given the lack of worthwhile offers and Charlotte's belief a groin injury has hampered Stephenson's production this season.
Charlotte purportedly was aggressively making phone calls to find a trade, and almost every player on the roster - with the exception of Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker - was made available. Stephenson, who's struggled for most of the season, reportedly had drawn interest from a number of teams - the Brooklyn Nets, the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Miami Heat - but none of the teams offered Charlotte anything to make trading him worthwhile.
In light of that, along with the belief Stephenson's lack of production stems from a groin injury, Stephenson reportedly is off the market.
Per ESPN:
"Underwhelmed by the quality of trade offers they've received for Lance Stephenson, the Charlotte Hornets have decided to keep the volatile guard 'for now,' according to league sources. ... Charlotte feels the (groin) injury has affected Stephenson's movement and conditioning, according to sources, and that just as he was getting healthy, he reinjured the groin Wednesday against Phoenix.
"The Hornets want to rest Stephenson, let him heal and see if he can either fit in with Charlotte or re-establish his trade value."
Chemistry had been cited as Stephenson's biggest issue in Charlotte, where his production has dipped down to just 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season.
