Lance Stephenson to Clippers: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

After just one season, the Lance Stephenson experiment is over for the Charlotte Hornets. They sent the 24-year-old shooting guard to the Los Angeles Clippers for Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes.

The Clippers sent out a release on the trade, per ESPN.com's Arash Markazi: 

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Stephenson tweeted out a message to Charlotte fans, thanking them for their support: 

"

Thank you to buzz city and the Hornets organization. While the past year didn't work out as I hoped it would, I really enjoyed my time in the city of Charlotte. I will thoroughly miss the Hornets fans and my teammates who were very supportive of me over the last year. I wish the Hornets success going forward and I'm looking forward to doing whatever I can to help bring a championship to Los Angeles and Clipper Nation."

"

Calling Charlotte's decision to sign Stephenson last summer a disaster would be a bit over the top. The Hornets took a risk bringing him in—albeit on a reasonable three-year, $27.4 million contract—and the gamble simply didn't pay off.

Stephenson averaged 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists a night. His 17.1 percent shooting from behind the arc also did little to solve the Hornets' spacing problems.

It doesn't come as much of a surprise that the team decided to offload him. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported a potential deal that would've sent Stephenson to the Brooklyn Nets back in January.

This isn't the first time the Clippers have shown an interest in Stephenson, either; Markazi reported Los Angeles had a deal in place to acquire Stephenson last season, before head coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers backed out.

Clearly, Stephenson and Charlotte were a pairing that simply wasn't going to work.

Playing for an NBA title contender with a heavy veteran presence might help the unpredictable guard return to the form he had with the Indiana Pacers.

It's not like Stephenson is a completely lost cause. He's still pretty young and only making $9 million next year, which is a very team-friendly figure. Plus, the Clippers have a team option for 2016-17, so if the partnership isn't working, they can cut bait easily.

The big thing will be getting Stephenson and Chris Paul to coexist. ESPN's Mike Wells wonders if Stephenson's issues jelling with Kemba Walker will travel with him to Los Angeles:

Los Angeles doesn't have a ton of wiggle room with the salary cap. The team's hands are tied, so taking a leap of faith with a player like Stephenson isn't a crazy move.

He's the kind of perimeter defender and wing scorer the Clippers lacked last year.

The most troublesome aspect of this trade isn't even related to Stephenson. If unrestricted free agent DeAndre Jordan doesn't re-sign with the team, L.A. will have a major hole at center, one that Hawes could've in part filled, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register noted:

Hawes didn't play all that well for the Clippers this past year (5.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG), but he was at least somebody they could bring off the bench. Now, their next-best big man is Ekpe Udoh.

CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie thinks the Hornets will have problems of their own regarding Hawes:

At least Charlotte will have a little more flexibility with Barnes. He's a free agent after next year, and Wojnarowski reported it wouldn't be difficult to cut him now if the Hornets were so inclined:

This is the kind of trade that makes sense on paper but could end up making both teams worse a few months into the season. Stephenson is a ticking time bomb, while Hawes is due more than $11.2 million over the next two years and has a player option for a little over $6 million in 2017-18.

The Clippers clearly have the most to gain from the deal. If Stephenson plays like his 2013-14 self, then Los Angeles might have the final piece that turns it into a serious NBA title contender.