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“The Portland Trail Blazers are finalizing a deal to send forward Nic Batum to the Charlotte Hornets for Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The deal will be finalized on Wednesday night, league sources said.” - Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports
Portland Trail Blazers Trade: Nicolas Batum
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Gerald Henderson, Noah Vonleh
Charlotte Hornets Trade: Gerald Henderson, Noah Vonleh
Charlotte Hornets Receive: Nic Batum
Portland Side: Portland did lose a starter in Nicolas Batum, but this trade helped the Blazers in a few different ways. The first is cap space, this move will give Portland a few extra million dollars in cap space, 3.6 million to be exact. This extra money will aid Portland in their efforts in retaining their free agents. A list including three starters from last season, LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, and Robin Lopez. All of these guys played a significant role for the Blazers last season and will see plenty of suitors this summer. The Blazers are preparing for this onslaught the best they can.
This trade didn’t only provide the Blazers with additional cap-space, but it gave them a solid wing in Gerald Henderson. The Blazers are aware that it is unlikely they can keep both Wesley Matthews and Aaron Afflalo, so they grabbed Henderson to fill the void.
Another plus, the Blazers received Noah Vonleh, the ninth pick in last year’s draft.
Vonleh is only 19 years old and is still a raw player. He’s 6’10 with a power forward body and plenty of upside, a nice piece to have if free agency doesn’t go as planned.
Charlotte Side: The Hornets were able to grab a starting small forward in Nicolas Batum. A player who can help them win now and impact both ends of the floor. Batum has the ability to defend multiple positions and can give the Hornets some much needed offensive spacing. (Batum is 36 percent from three for his career)
Yes, the Hornets lose Gerald Henderson, who has been a solid contributor for them, but Batum will have a bigger presence on the court and should instanly help this team.
As well the Hornets had to give up Noah Vonleh, their lottery pick from last season. Which is a risk considering he is only 19 and still has plenty of time to develop his skills. A risk the Hornets felt they needed to take to improve their team.
Sources:
http://espn.go.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3993/gerald-henderson
http://espn.go.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3416/nicolas-batum
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--trail-blazers-finalizing-deal-to-trade-nic-batum-to-hornets-231843119.html
http://www.si.com/nba/2015/06/24/nicolas-batum-trade-noah-vonleh-gerald-henderson-blazers-hornets