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Who would have thought that Lance Stephenson would be worth anything to the Miami Heat besides three postseasons of awkward motivation? His antagonistic ear blowing, Dwyane Wade knee injury insinuations and pregame confrontations were all a little fuel to the Big Three fire, but last year’s disappointing season may be an unintentional saving grace for Pat Riley.
Stephenson’s one year with the Charlotte Hornets consisted of an eight-point average on 38 percent shooting from the field and 17 percent shooting from behind the three-point line. Toss in a ton of DNPs — injuries and coach’s decisions — and it is needless to say that his short tenure was a major disappointment.
As a result, the shooting guard was shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. Not only does that free up money for Doc Rivers to keep DeAndre Jordan, it knocks a potential landing spot off of Wade’s opt-out options list. However, it also helps Miami on two other fronts.
With Stephenson on his way to Hollywood, the Hornets will be in desperate need of a guard to take his place — preferably one who can shoot. This in turn saves Miami from potentially blowing the No. 10 pick on a one-dimensional player like Kentucky’s Devin Booker. And with all signs pointing to Barnes’ release after Charlotte’s not so glowing press release statement that simply called him “an experienced veteran who knows the NBA,” their $2.5 million money saved could be Riley’s gain.
A free agent like Barnes would give Miami a cheap one-year alternative in case Luol Deng decides to opt out or a quality defensive, three-point shooter to shore up the bench. So for as much of a nuisance as Stephenson has been to the city of Miami, fans may soon have to thank him for the ultimate assist.
Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.
