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Report: Clippers shopping Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

So much for the Los Angeles Clippers' revamped bench.

As Yahoo's Marc Spears reports, the Clippers have gauged trade interest in struggling bench pieces Josh Smith and Lance Stephenson over the past month.

Both Stephenson and Smith were brought in during the offseason to supplement the Clippers' dysfunctional bench unit. Smith played a pivotal role on the Houston Rockets' squad that ultimately knocked the Clippers out of last year's playoffs, and Stephenson was something of a low-risk reclamation project.

Neither player has worked out. The ball-dominant Stephenson has proven to be a poor fit with both the starting and bench unit, and is averaging just 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 18.7 minutes per game.

Smith, on the other hand, is averaging 5.5 points per game while shooting a ghastly 39.8 percent from the field. He also reportedly engaged Clippers assistant Mike Woodson in a shouting match following a loss to the Toronto Raptors last month.

"There is not much of a market for them," one NBA executive told Spears. "They are buyout candidates. Maybe Lance goes back to Indiana, you never know. You won't get back much for them."

In any case, any deal involving either Smith or Stephenson is unlikely to be consummated within the next two weeks. The Clippers are battling injuries to their backcourt and can't afford more absences. Smith, who signed as a free agent this summer, is also ineligible to be traded until Dec. 15.

Smith is earning the veteran's minimum, while Stephenson is in the last guaranteed season of a three-year, $27-million contract.

Even shooting guard Jamal Crawford may still be available in trades, Spears writes. The veteran guard tweeted out in the offseason that he wished he were a free agent, although head coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers openly stated that he would be "surprised" if Crawford wasn't a Clipper by season's end.

Favored by many as a dark-horse championship contender coming into the season, the Clippers sit at just 12-9 at the quarter mark.

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