Charlotte Hornets Should Resist Urge to Trade Lance Stephenson, for Now

It is indisputable that the three years and $27 million the Charlotte Hornets gave Lance Stephenson this offseason has been a mistake thus far. Many considered it to be a steal, but few saw this turning out to be such a poor fit.

The start has been so rough that trade rumors even began to surface, but recent reports from Chris Broussard and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com have stated that Stephenson will be staying put, "for now."

Adding to the complications would be the fact that trading Stephenson now would result in Charlotte having to likely eat most, if not all of his contract. The offers were low to begin with, and small market teams are in no position to take that kind of a hit on a lost contract. Strictly from a trade standpoint, if Charlotte were to make a deal, it would be much better off building his value back up and shipping him out around the trade deadline, instead of selling low.

Regardless of the situation, Charlotte simply cannot quit on its talented young guard just yet. Stephenson's tumultuous nature always left open the possibility of things not going smoothly, so a third of a season is not enough time to form an accurate conclusion on this marriage, even if Stephenson is already clashing with teammates.

Perhaps the most discouraging part of this union has been the subpar performance of the backcourt as a whole. Stephenson was supposed to slot in as the third scorer this squad sorely needed alongside Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson, but Lance's shot has been atrocious all year. He has connected on just 15 percent of his attempts from three-point range, and his inability to put up points with any consistency has hurt Walker's production as well.

It is also disconcerting that the Hornets have played their best basketball of the season during their recent four-game winning streak, while Stephenson has been out with a hip injury. From December 19 through 23, Charlotte went 4-0 over the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks, with all but one of the victories coming by at least 18 points. Walker has also finally gotten hot without his backcourt mate out there, averaging 23.8 points and 6.4 assists on 50 percent shooting from both the floor and three-point range in his past five contests.

It is hard to believe that is purely coincidental. Through 25 games, Charlotte hadn't won a match by double digits, but with Stephenson out, they started dishing out December beatdowns with ease.

What is important for fans to remember is just how long this season is. Think back to last year's Indiana Pacers, when Stephenson was a blossoming star. That team started 16-1, but the campaign ended in the gutter amid a flurry of clubhouse discourse and questionable trades. Instead of weathering the storm when a little bit of adversity came, Indiana dealt away Danny Granger, and things slowly unraveled. Charlotte is nowhere near ready to make a Josh Smith-esque transaction, because this ship can turn around.

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Now that Walker has gotten going a little bit, and other guards such as P.J. Hairston and Gerald Henderson have found a brief groove in Stephenson's absence, Clifford should be able to ease his star shooting guard back into the fold upon his return. Charlotte has also reaped the benefit of a softened schedule, but wins are wins, especially for a team floundering nine games below .500.

The undeniable truth is that the Eastern Conference is still wide open, and Charlotte is still just three games back of a playoff spot. It is way too early to make a panic move such as trading Stephenson just 29 games into a three-year deal. This move was made with the hopes of elevating the Hornets to the next tier in the Eastern Conference, so Michael Jordan and company have to let that play itself out more.