HORNETS KEEP OVERHAULING, GET BATUM FOR HENDERSON & VONLEH
The Portland Trail Blazers acquired shooting guard-small forward Gerald Henderson and power forward-center Noah Vonleh from the Charlotte Hornets for small forward-shooting guard Nicolas Batum.
What does it give the Portland Trail Blazers
This is a very solid move for the Blazers. Not only do they add an underrated swingman in Henderson, but they get a blue-chip young post player in Vonleh and save some money in the process. Batum's worrying decline last season probably made this move easier, but above all the $4 million or so Portland saves will help them this off-season (when they hope to re-sign free agent superstar LaMarcus Aldridge). Henderson's contract expires after next season, so this deal also comes with needed financial flexibility.
What does it give the Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets have already started a serious makeover of last season's disappointing roster, earlier dealing Lance Stephenson to the Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. Batum can replace Stephenson. And while like Stephenson he struggled last season, Batum is a more established and mature player who can be a more complementary piece of the puzzle. Down the road Charlotte might regret losing Vonleh, but he was a bit slow to develop as a rookie last season.
Fantasy impact
A change of scenery might help Batum return to his all-round fantasy excellence, especially on a Hornets squad that looks likely to give him a bigger role than he had with the Blazers. That said, it'll be interesting to see if Charlotte tries to shift him from small forward to shooting guard (since Michael Kidd-Gilchrist starts at the 3-spot). Henderson probably won't see much change in fantasy value (since he's probably still a starter but not quite a go-to guy), but his arrival in Portland likely hurts the fantasy breakout chances of combo guard C.J. McCollum (at least for another season). Meanwhile, the 'change-of-scenery' factor might help Vonleh as well. That said, don't expect much from Vonleh for the next season or two, as he's still quite young and raw.
