The Los Angeles Clippers are back over .500 and it seems like they are getting used to their new teammates now. However, that might not last long as two of their reserves are in danger of getting moved.
Guard/forward Lance Stephenson and forward Josh Smith are said to be on the move and this might be due to their lackluster performance in their first 21 games with the Clippers.
Stephenson, in his second year of his 3-year, $27 million contract he originally signed with the Hornets, was traded to the Clippers this season in exchange for Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes. He is averaging 5.4 points, 3.2 rebounds in 19 minutes of action over the course of 21 games.
Josh Smith, meanwhile, came over from the Houston Rockets to sign a minimum contract with the Clippers, is also failing to meet expectations as he is only averaging 5.4 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting poorly in the field.
Also, there's the incident that Smith was allegedly involved on. He was said to engage an assistant coach (believed to be Mike Woodson) to a shouting contest, which is not good for team chemistry.
Also, the Clips shouldn't expect to get real value from the two according to some executives as they weren't coveted much after all.
"There is not much of a market for them," one NBA executive said via Yahoo Sports. "They are buyout candidates. Maybe Lance goes back to Indiana, you never know. You won't get back much for them."
From another front-office executive's point of view, "They are talented, but when you add people like that it does affect the chemistry of their team. I don't think they will be traded. It's a tough thing to do because they didn't have a lot of takers beforehand."
