The Lance Stephenson trade is one of the biggest NBA news a few days ago. Of course, except Golden State Warriors' championship win over Cleveland Cavaliers.
While the Warriors are out there celebrating their victory, other teams are already preparing for the new season. Among the firsts to do so is Los Angeles Clippers who traded Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes for Charlotte Hornets' Lance Stephenson.
While the Lance Stephenson trade is deemed as something that will benefit the former Indiana Pacers star, Clippers coach Doc Rivers insisted the transition will not be that smooth for the 24-year old shooting guard.
Stephenson struggled last year while with the Hornets and a new team can make his fans hope that he will regain his touch. Rivers insisted though they made the trade not exactly for Stephenson's offense but rather for his defense.
"Obviously he really struggled last year and I looked at that as an undervalued asset more than a guy who can't play," Rivers said during his appearance on Tuesday on The Beast 980.
"We know he can. I like what he can bring for us on the defensive end first. I love his body type. I think he's a tough kid, very competitive kid. And that has got him in trouble at times, but the one thing that he has shown in major playoff games is that he can be a top-tier defender."
Doc Rivers acknowledges though that Lance Stephenson trade is an upgrade for the Los Angeles Clippers.
"We got a lot of work to do," he said. "Worst case, and it's not a bad case, I still think that Lance is an upgrade, even at that position if we wanted to start him. I'm planning on doing more things this summer."
"Listen, it's going to be a tough, long summer for us," he added. "I think we've improved our team by bringing Lance on. A lot of times, when you look at a trade, and the way I was taught - at least Red Auerbach used to always say this - the team that gets the best player in the trade gets the best trade. And in this case, I think Lance is the best player in this trade for us."
