NBA Trade Deadline 2016: Lance Stephenson traded to Grizzlies
The Clippers have traded Lance Stephenson to the Grizzlies
The Los Angeles Clippers had been furiously trying to trade Lance Stephenson before the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline as the enigmatic wing hadn’t exactly played out quite as well in Los Angeles as some had hoped. Just before the 3 p.m. ET buzzer for the trade deadline, the Clippers got a deal done with the Memphis Grizzlies.
According to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, the Clippers got a deal done right at the last minute with the Grizzlies that will be sending Lance to Memphis:
Source: Lance Stephenson has been traded to Memphis
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 18, 2016
Initially, the deal looked to be just a one-for-one swap in which the Clippers acquired Grizzlies forward Jeff Green:
Clippers have acquired Jeff Green in the deal
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 18, 2016
However, ESPN’s Marc Stein then came behind with the most shocking part of the deal, reporting that the Clippers would also be sending a first-round pick to Memphis in the Stephenson trade:
Grizzlies also acquire a first-round pick in the deal
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 18, 2016
Simply trading Stephenson for Green is really a wash in terms of talent and potential for both the Clippers and the Grizzlies, but the first-round pick changes everything. What are the Clippers doing here? Was Lance Stephenson really so detrimental the locker room and the performance of Los Angeles that they were willing to give up a first-rounder? Even if it is lottery-protected in the future (per Woike), that doesn’t make much sense at all.
This is by far the most shocking deal of the day. The Grizzlies by far get the better end of this deal, even if the duo of Stephenson and Barnes is the craziest in the NBA. They get a future first-rounder to unload a big expiring to shake things up for the rest of the season and then have a team option for next year on Lance Stephenson’s contract.
For the Clippers, yikes.