With the drama unfolding in Charlotte regarding Lance Stephenson, many teams have been inquiring about the versatile guard. One such team with reported interest has been the Miami Heat.
Miami would certainly benefit greatly by adding Stephenson, because aside from often-injured Dwayne Wade, the team has very few solid backcourt options. While Stephenson has struggled mightily with his shot this year—currently shooting 38.7 percent from the field—he is unquestionably a better playmaker than the trio of Norris Cole, Shabazz Napier and Mario Chalmers.
Of course, Miami would have to move either Stephenson or Wade to full-time point guard duties, but both have played the position in the past, and with Stephenson’s poor shooting he might benefit from being the team’s main facilitator, as he has averaged just under five assists twice in his career.
The team could also bring Stephenson off the bench, however knowing Stephenson a move to sixth-man at this point in his career might not settle well with him. Despite all the good, this could cause for Miami the team might not be able to make a move for Stephenson.
The team has very few young assets and doesn’t own it’s first round pick for the 2015 season. It’s only real tradable asset might be Shabazz Napier, who ironically the team traded to Miami during a draft-night deal.
However, Napier alone can’t get Stephenson to Miami, and a trade between the Southeast divisional rivals such as Charlotte and Miami would be highly unlikely, but it’s fun to speculate.