Indiana Pacers Need to Avoid Lance Stephenson Trade at All Costs

The Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets and Lance Stephenson are all much worse off than they were a year ago. Dec. 15 was the first day on which players who signed free-agent contracts over the summer could be traded. With that date in the rearview mirror, there is now the opportunity for all three parties to take a massive mulligan on their summers and arrange a deal that would send Stephenson back to Indiana.

It's an enticing idea, but likely a terrible one from the Pacers' perspective. 

The Pacers appear to be doing their due diligence and gathering information. Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Pacers are at least talking to the Hornets about the idea.

The case for pursuing Stephenson is fairly straightforward. The Pacers wanted to re-sign him this summer, offering Stephenson a five-year, $44 million deal. The three-year, $27 million deal he ultimately signed with the Hornets works out to roughly the same yearly salary. Essentially the Pacers could have him back, on a slightly shorter commitment, for the price they were willing to pay in the first place.

Stephenson hasn't exactly been sparkling this year in Charlotte. Colin McGowan of Vice Sports visited the Hornets' situation and Stephenson's role in it:

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The Hornets, in what was supposed to be a season of marked growth, are in the Eastern Conference's basement. Outside of Al Jefferson's reliably efficient post-ups, they're without ideas on offense, and their defense, which was quite good last year, leaks like a cardboard dam. Stephenson is and isn't at the center of this. The entire squad is in a funk, but Stephenson is slumping as hard as anyone, and (shockingly) isn't handling it well. His jumper has forsaken him, and his body language suggests he assumed he would have the ball in his hands more often—he sulks whenever Kemba Walker runs the show for a few minutes. 

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You can see from his shot chart that he's been barely average around the rim and horrible from everywhere else, except a pocket of pull-up jump shots from the right elbow:

NylonCalculus.com

Still, as bad as he's been in Charlotte, Stephenson has all the same skills he used in a Pacers uniform the past few seasons. He has not regressed physically. His regression has been about the situation in Charlotte and Stephenson's mental and emotional reactions. It seems reasonable that the Pacers could plug him back into the same framework in which he was previously successful and expect similar results.

To be clear, the Pacers seem like they could really, really use the old Lance Stephenson this year.

After he signed with Charlotte, they tried to replicate his contributions in piecemeal fashion—C.J. Miles as the shooter, Rodney Stuckey as the penetrator, Solomon Hill as the defender. Miles has been a disaster shooting the ball and, predictably, not having a single player who can do all three things consistently has short-circuited the Pacers' effectiveness at both ends of the floor.

Still, even with those clear needs and a clear opportunity to fill them with a known quantity (as much as Stephenson can be considered a known quantity at any one moment), reacquiring Stephenson seems like a losing proposition.

For all his physical talent and basketball skills, Stephenson was a problem for the Pacers' chemistry. His teammates were visibly frustrated with his antagonism of the Miami Heat in last season's playoffs. That wasn't a one-time occurrence but a reflection on the tension that had been building around his offensive decision-making all season long.

When the Pacers were finally eliminated, Paul George was asked point blank if he wanted Stephenson back. He offered a less than ringing endorsement, per Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin:

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I mean, I don’t know. That’s for (Indiana president) Larry (Bird), (GM) Kevin (Pritchard) to decide. It would be great, we came into this league together. It would be great for us to continue our journey together. He’s played a huge year this whole season and in this postseason. He’s definitely put pressure on us to make decisions going forward with Lance.

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That diplomatic non-commitment sounds remarkably similar to Frank Vogel's comments on the trade talk after Tuesday's practice, via Fox59.com's David Griffiths: "I have no comment on that or players on other teams. I really love the guys we have on our team. I love the togetherness we’re building. All my focus is on getting this group to succeed."

George Hill offered a similar sentiment, saying, "I’m not saying I like it or dislike it, but right now we have a lot of great guys. I think it would be unfair to them."

While Stephenson seems like a solution to so many of their current challenges, his potential teammates and coach don't seem desperate for his return.

It's possible that these quotes reflect caution or a desire to not make waves or put pressure on management and the organization. However, after watching the Pacers collapse in on themselves last spring, it was clear that the dysfunction the team was dealing with was more about personalities than talent. The joy seemed to go out of the team around the beginning of January, and they never quite got it back. 

The Pacers' systems—offensive and defensive—both rely on precise collaboration and communication. In that context, personality, attitude and effort are almost as important as skill.

While Stephenson might be able to help in terms of raw talent and basketball skill, it seems probable that his interpersonal contributions could completely undermine that.

Lance Stephenson was important to the rise of the Indiana Pacers organization. He was a key piece of their playoff push the past two seasons and helped bring them to the brink of the NBA Finals. 

That era is over.

Too much damage has been done, too many psychological bridges have been burnt.

The Pacers could use Lance Stephenson's skills in a vacuum, but personal experience offers a reminder that skill in a vacuum is nothing more than a pipe dream.

The Hornets have learned the same lesson and won't be looking for much in return for a chance to undo their mistake.

Just say no, Indiana.