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Lance Stephenson is out this week with a recurring groin injury and the Hornets have reportedly taken him off the market for now. ESPN reported Friday that Charlotte put its efforts to trade Lance Stephenson on hold because the 6'5" Brooklyn product didn't get the level of interest they anticipated. This follows a Yahoo! report Thursday that the market for Stephenson is "lean."
Still, it appears Stephenson is upping the ante on his desire to return home. He said ten days ago that he'd like to play with the Nets before his career ends. Now, in the past 24 hours, he's posted two images on his Instagram account, one a page from a magazine profile, entitled "Straight out of Brooklyn," the other a drawing of him in a BK hat. They were the only images he posted on Sunday. (In fact, most of his Instagram postings this past week have been about Brooklyn, although until Sunday, they were mostly about his days at Lincoln H.S.)
Maybe he's homesick or merely offering a paen to the borough ... or just having fun. The timing, though, is interesting. Those same 24 hours have been filled with rumors that the Nets are very active in the trade market. Then overnight, Marc Stein tweeted this...
Weekend Trade Rumble: Heard various Pacers were asked if Indy should try to bring Lance Stephenson back. Response NOT one of encouragement
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) December 22, 2014
That's Charlotte's challenge in trying to move Stephenson. Pacers were worn out by season's end & he had Hornets exasperated in record time
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) December 22, 2014
The Pacers and the Nets were the two teams Adrian Wojnarowski wrote that Charlotte was targeting as potential trade partners for Stephenson. Woj also wrote that the Hornets might be interested in Brook Lopez, who Charlotte nearly signed to an offer sheet in 2012 when he was a restricted free agent. The Nets may have had internal discussions on Stephenson, but no one is reporting any real interest.
Meanwhile, without him on the court, the Hornets have won two straight to bring their record to 8-19.