One Trade That Every Team Should Do
New Orleans gets: SG Lance Stephenson, SG/SF Gerald Henderson
Charlotte gets: SG Eric Gordon
Finances: In this trade, the money is a big deal. All three players have unsightly contracts that run for two years, as Gordon is due for a combined $30.4 million in those two years, while Lance and Henderson are owed a combined $18 million and $12 million, respectively, in the same span. Gordon has always been a dubious contract, while Lance has just had a disappointing year after what was thought to be a great offseason signing for Charlotte, and Henderson has also been disappointing for the Hornets after his 3 year/$18 million extension seemed to make sense. This trade is pretty much breaking down one bad contract into two for the Pelicans.
The Fit: As touched on above, we don’t really know if Stephenson and Henderson are actually bad contracts, as they were good last year but not this year. After leading the league in triple-doubles with averages of 14 points on a nice 49% shooting, 7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, Stephenson’s numbers have really fallen off this year: 9 points on a dismal 37% shooting, to go with just 5.5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. The same goes for Henderson, who after averaging 15.5 and 14 points per game in each of the past two seasons, is putting up just 11 points a contest this year. Still, Stephenson and Henderson both have potential, and as their contracts add up to that of Gordon’s anyways, this is nice low-risk, high-reward trade for New Orleans
Why the other team does it: Charlotte is just desperate to get rid of Stephenson at this point, as it is clear that he’s a horrible fit for them. Gordon, like both Lance and Henderson, has shown flashes of talent in past years, as he put up 15.5 points and 1.5 threes per game just last year. However, also like the other shooting guards, Gordon is having a relatively disappointing campaign this year: 12.5 points and 2 threes per game on a poor 42% shooting. However, there is upside here, and getting rid of Henderson’s poor contract helps. Somehow, it seems like both teams get a low-risk, high-reward deal here.
New Orleans gets: SG Lance Stephenson, SG/SF Gerald Henderson
Charlotte gets: SG Eric Gordon
Finances: In this trade, the money is a big deal. All three players have unsightly contracts that run for two years, as Gordon is due for a combined $30.4 million in those two years, while Lance and Henderson are owed a combined $18 million and $12 million, respectively, in the same span. Gordon has always been a dubious contract, while Lance has just had a disappointing year after what was thought to be a great offseason signing for Charlotte, and Henderson has also been disappointing for the Hornets after his 3 year/$18 million extension seemed to make sense. This trade is pretty much breaking down one bad contract into two for the Pelicans.
The Fit: As touched on above, we don’t really know if Stephenson and Henderson are actually bad contracts, as they were good last year but not this year. After leading the league in triple-doubles with averages of 14 points on a nice 49% shooting, 7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, Stephenson’s numbers have really fallen off this year: 9 points on a dismal 37% shooting, to go with just 5.5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. The same goes for Henderson, who after averaging 15.5 and 14 points per game in each of the past two seasons, is putting up just 11 points a contest this year. Still, Stephenson and Henderson both have potential, and as their contracts add up to that of Gordon’s anyways, this is nice low-risk, high-reward trade for New Orleans
Why the other team does it: Charlotte is just desperate to get rid of Stephenson at this point, as it is clear that he’s a horrible fit for them. Gordon, like both Lance and Henderson, has shown flashes of talent in past years, as he put up 15.5 points and 1.5 threes per game just last year. However, also like the other shooting guards, Gordon is having a relatively disappointing campaign this year: 12.5 points and 2 threes per game on a poor 42% shooting. However, there is upside here, and getting rid of Henderson’s poor contract helps. Somehow, it seems like both teams get a low-risk, high-reward deal here.