The Los Angeles Clippers acquired enigmatic forward Lance Stephenson from the Charlotte Hornets, the two teams announced on Monday night.
The Clippers acquired Stephenson in exchange for veteran forward Matt Barnes and center Spencer Hawes. According to NBA.com, the two teams tried to strike the same deal before the trade deadline in February, but the two teams failed to finalize a trade.
The Clippers, who lost a 3-1 series lead against the Houston Rockets in the 2015 Western Conference semifinals, have been trying to improve their wing rotation over the past several months. According to ESPN, the Clippers pulled the trigger on the deal because they have no cap space to sign a marque free agent this summer.
Stephenson, who inked a three-year deal worth $27 million with the Hornets last offseason, failed to meet expectations in his lone season in Charlotte.
The 24-year-old guard averaged just 8.2 points on top of 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 61 games, which are far from his numbers during his final season with the Indiana Pacers -- 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
If the Stephenson experiment of the Clippers fail, they will have the right to part ways with the former Cincinnati standout as they hold a team option for the final year of his deal.
On the other hand, Hornets general manager Rich Cho said the deal gives their team additional veteran presence, which he said could help their team improve moving forward.
"We are pleased to add a pair of proven veterans to our team," Cho said in a statement. "Spencer Hawes is an experienced big man whose outside shooting gives us additional flexibility on offense. Matt Barnes is an experienced veteran who knows the NBA."
Barnes, who spent the last three seasons with the Clippers, averaged 10.1 points to go along with 4.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 76 regular-season games this year. Hawes, on the other hand, posted 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 73 games, including 15 starts.
