How the Lance Stephenson Trade Impacts the Miami Heat

Infamous for blowing into LeBron James’ ear during the 2014 Conference Finals, Lance Stephenson once again makes his way into Miami Heat news.

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Stephenson, who turned down a five-year, $44 million contract from the Indiana Pacers last summer and instead opted to test free agency, signed with the Charlotte Hornets on a three-year, $27 million deal; he played in 62 games, averaging 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists. However, it was recently announced that the Los Angeles Clippers have acquired him in a trade involving Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes.

So what does this have to do with Miami? Well as always, any deal made between two (or more) teams, affects the rest of the league too. And in this case, no other team will be as directly involved as the Heat.

For starters, Miami has the No. 10 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, falling right behind the Hornets. Losing Stephenson from their lineup may in fact change the needs of the team, therefore potentially screwing up the Heat’s desired acquisition as well. Devin Booker, Frank Kaminsky and Stanley Johnson are three great examples of this. It was already assumed that Charlotte would more than likely be going after a shooter, but a need for someone to space the floor is even more apparent now.

If the Heat have their eye on a particular player when the Hornets pick, they may either miss out on their guy or have to trade up to get him. Fans of the Heat and the organization will be watching what happens with the ninth pick very carefully.

On top of this (though not as crucial to note), this basically takes away any possibility of Dwyane Wade leaving for the Clippers due to salary cap reasons.

Obviously though, this does not mean fans should breathe a sigh of relief just yet. In fact, during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Wade slipped up and used the past tense when speaking about himself in Miami.

True, this may not mean anything, but it certainly caused all of Heat Nation to further evaluate the situation. And while it would be surprising for the veteran to make such a key mistake amidst contract negotiations, on the other hand, it was anything but comforting.

Wade has to make a decision this summer as to where he will be playing next year, if not for the remainder of his career. While he is under contract with the Heat for the 2015-2016 season ($16.1 million), he may in fact opt out and test free agency.