While many Miami Heat fans still have visions of Lance Stephenson's antics as an opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, lately speculation has been positioning Stephenson as a potential trade option for the team going forward.
In a recent Q&A, Sun Sentinel writer Ira Winderman addressed whether or not the rumors linking Stephenson to the Heat are viable and/or legitimate:
Well, at least not until Dec. 15, the first day he is eligible to be traded. With Stephenson's $9 million salary, it would take a package of Josh McRoberts and Mario Chalmers from the Heat to make it work. And the Hornets then likely would want to unload the $7 million salary of Marvin Williams, the player they signed to replace McRoberts.
To your greater point, there has been nothing tangible about such a deal. But an argument could be made that the Hornets dearly miss McRoberts, while Stephenson's skill set fits some of what the Heat lack in their perimeter rotation. But I still think the Heat want to first explore the possibilities of McRoberts and Danny Granger, and I'm not sure Michael Jordan would want to bail so quickly on one of his first marquee free-agent acquisitions beyond Al Jefferson. But this Heat roster still doesn't have much outside of Wade when it comes to creating offense when the offense stalls. That became evident Friday against the Bucks.
Stephenson has tools that the Heat are looking for from a guard perspective, but keep this one in the realm of distant speculation for now.
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