The first relatively big trade of the short NBA offseason is close to being finalized. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Charlotte Hornets are on the verge of acquiring forward Nicolas Batum for two former lottery picks, Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh.
This specific deal shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone. Both Batum and Henderson have been on the trade block for some time now. It also must be noted that trading the proven forward in exchange for two less-than-proven players doesn’t indicate that the Blazers are giving up hope of retaining soon-to-be free agent LaMarcus Aldridge. Instead, it provides the team with about $3.5 million in cap savings and gives Portland more depth.
Batum, a first-round pick of the Houston Rockets back in 2008, has played all seven of his NBA seasons with the Blazers. The still young 26-year-old forward averaged 9.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game last season. He’s a really nice addition to a Hornets squad that just sent Lance Stephenson packing.
As it relates to what’s heading to Portland in the deal, Henderson is someone to keep an eye on. After being selected 12th overall out of Duke back in 2010, the guard has seen his overall game mature a great deal. He put up just 12.1 points per game while shooting 44 percent from the field this past season. With Arron Afflalo opting out of his deal, Henderson should be given an opportunity to start for the Blazers next year.
The big steal in this deal has to be Vonleh, who was selected by Charlotte ninth overall in the 2014 draft last June. While the Indiana product barely played as a rookie, he’s seen as a young talent with tremendous upside. The 19-year-old stands at 6-foot-10 and played just one season of college ball with the Hoosiers.
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