I do not know if you can have Gerald Henderson as a starting wing on your team if you are serious about competing for a championship.
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Nicolas Batum is no longer a Trail Blazer. But now, with Spencer Hawes already on the roster, adding another stretch power forward that may struggle to defend at his position makes tiny to no sense. The fact that Gerald Henderson was included in the deal only days after opting in to his deal for 2015-16 could mean that the Blazers expect at least one of them to play elsewhere next year. The team was reluctant to part ways with Vonleh given the vast potential and impressive work ethic of the 19-year-old power forward.
“Portland didn’t make the trade as a first step in rebuilding, league sources told Yahoo Sports”.
Bench – Mo Williams, Luke Ridnour, Brian Roberts (Point Guards); Troy Daniels, P.J. Sports.
This trade could be the first move in a busy offseason for Portland, with so many core players hitting free agency. Three of Portland’s five starters are unrestricted free agents, and one of the two who was under contract just got traded. Batum is going into the final year of his contract.
“We felt like we needed some more shooting and we feel like we have addressed that”, said Hornets general manager Rich Cho. After being the worst 3-point shooter in NBA history, Stephenson’s inability to fit in with Kemba Walker and the rest of the Hornets’ offense was incredibly awkward.
During the playoffs of last season, the team said that Batum had a career high of 8.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Cho stated Batum will begin at capturing guard, complementing small ahead Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. They also get the ninth overall pick in the 2014 Draft in Vonleh, who played sparingly last season as a 19-year-old.
The Hornets also explained in a release that Batum is a great addition to the team because of his talent.
Finally, Charlotte still has a top 10 pick, and both Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Chad Ford believe the moves today continue to point to the selection of Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky at No. 9.
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I originally thought Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona or Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky would be the pick at #9.
