Sometimes talented players get stuck in a rut. It's unfortunate, but it happens. A series of circumstances will arise that will hinder a player's ability to contribute on the court. Even though that player may be talented, a change of scenery is usually what's best for all parties involved.
We can see that playing out in the NBA right now, as several skilled players are hurting in their current situations. Here are three players that should be dealt.
1. Reggie Jackson, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Jackson was OKC's lifeline to competency back when stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were sidelined with injuries. The guy averaged 19.5 PPG, 7.5 ASP, 5.3 RPG, 1 SPG and 1.2 3PG in November. Those are All-Star numbers, people.
But then his playing time was cut dramatically when the stars returned and OKC's acquisition of Dion Waiters hasn't helped much. His stats this month: 10.6 PPG, 3.1 APG, 3.6 RPG, .6 SPG, 1.1 3PG in only 21 minutes of game action.
Jackson is set to hit free agency this offseason and it's possible that the Thunder's acquisition of Waiters was in preparation of moving Jackson. As we all know from the James Harden deal, OKC is vehemently opposed to losing valuable assets for nothing.
"Jackson is young enough and has enough ceiling that he's the type of player a team would trade for to be a starter," ESPN Insider Bradford Doolittle said. "And if there was a good thing about the Thunder's early injury problems from an analytical standpoint, it's that we got a good sample of what Jackson can do as a featured player at this point of his career."
2. Brook Lopez, C, Brooklyn Nets
It's a tough year to be Brook Lopez. Not only has the sixth-year big man continued to struggle with injuries, but his production has slipped to its lowest levels since his rookie season. Lopez is averaging 15 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.5 BPG, all well below his career averages.
Now normally, I wouldn't judge a player strictly off of numbers. But the Nets are just 17-24 in the weak Eastern Conference. They've failed to live up to expectations by such an astonishing degree that billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov is reportedly ready to sell the team just five years after buying it.
I'm not heaping all of this on Lopez, but a change in direction could benefit both team and player in the long run.
"Nets coach Lionel Hollins has seemingly been frustrated with Lopez's below-the-rim, offensive-oriented game from Day 1, and rising sophomore big man Mason Plumlee now looks like the team's center of the future, making Lopez expendable," ESPN's Joe Kaiser wrote. "Rumors in recent weeks have linked Lopez to Charlotte and Oklahoma City, and it'd be surprising if we didn't hear more trade speculation during the next month.
"Even if Lopez ends up on a team like OKC and plays the same amount of minutes, the improved environment could lead to better stats."
3. Lance Stephenson, SG, Charlotte Hornets
I really thought Charlotte nabbing Stephenson on an affordable three-year deal this past summer was a coup for this young team on the come up. Alas, the good vibes were not meant to last. Stephenson has not fit in well at all and his Player Efficiency Rating, which measures a player's overall per-minute statistical production, of 10.24 is the lowest it's been since 2011. At 24, Stephenson is still young and talented enough to be an effective player for someone. It just doesn't seem to be the Hornets.
"After Utah matched Charlotte's offer sheet for Gordon Hayward over the summer, the Hornets inked Stephenson...and they've been regretting that move ever since," Kaiser wrote. "It didn't take long to realize Stephenson is a poor fit in Charlotte's offense, but he proved last season in Indiana that he can thrive in the right situation. Finding another situation like the one he had with the Pacers could be tough, and that's the main problem here."
"What team, at this point, would give Stephenson the ball and tell him to be the man?" Doolittle said. "That's what he really needs in order to put up the numbers he did for Indiana. The Pacers did a great job of coaxing him into a role that allowed him to have that feel, but it involved a lot of coddling. And even that unraveled at the end."
