Trade Grades
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Hornets get: SF/SG Nicolas Batum
Blazers get: PF/C Noah Vonleh, SG/SF Gerald Henderson
Well, the Hornets replaced one lengthy defender that is coming off a disappointing season, with another. After star SG Lance Stephenson was dealt to the Clippers for a couple of role players, Charlotte decided to ship out a solid wing scorer and their most recent first-rounder in exchange for Stephenson’s replacement, Batum. The only question is: was it worth it?
SG/SF Gerald Henderson was and is a solid scorer, but not much more. The Duke product has averaged 14.2 points per game over the last four years, with that number dropping slightly to 12.1 this past year, all without a reliable three-point shot. He’s an average defender, but doesn’t do much in the rebounding or assisting departments. He was on a reasonable $6 million deal, but with go-to scorers like star PG Kemba Walker and C/PF Al Jefferson, the Hornets are clearly valuing shooters over above-average shot creators. Getting more of
PF/C Noah Vonleh, unlike Henderson, is a wild card that you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get from. He was the number nine pick in last year’s draft, and was actually supposed to go in the top five. It’s all about upside with Vonleh, as he was tagged as incredibly raw at the draft, but could possess superstar potential. He is a rare breed, one the can defend and block shots but also space the floor and knock down threes, along with excellent rebounding skills. His production this past year was expectedly poor: 3.3 points, and 3.4 rebounds in just 10.4 minutes per game. The day after the deal, Vonleh was replaced by sweet-shooting big man PF/C Frank Kaminsky in the draft. The Hornets are clearly looking to contend now, and Kaminsky is an upgrade over Vonleh in the short-term, but theroster now lacks anyone with superstar potential.
Batum is actually coming off a disappointing season, though the all-around star did post a career year just the season before. See the comparison for yourself:
Click here for like to Portland Trail Blazers Trade Grade
Hornets get: SF/SG Nicolas Batum
Blazers get: PF/C Noah Vonleh, SG/SF Gerald Henderson
Well, the Hornets replaced one lengthy defender that is coming off a disappointing season, with another. After star SG Lance Stephenson was dealt to the Clippers for a couple of role players, Charlotte decided to ship out a solid wing scorer and their most recent first-rounder in exchange for Stephenson’s replacement, Batum. The only question is: was it worth it?
SG/SF Gerald Henderson was and is a solid scorer, but not much more. The Duke product has averaged 14.2 points per game over the last four years, with that number dropping slightly to 12.1 this past year, all without a reliable three-point shot. He’s an average defender, but doesn’t do much in the rebounding or assisting departments. He was on a reasonable $6 million deal, but with go-to scorers like star PG Kemba Walker and C/PF Al Jefferson, the Hornets are clearly valuing shooters over above-average shot creators. Getting more of
PF/C Noah Vonleh, unlike Henderson, is a wild card that you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get from. He was the number nine pick in last year’s draft, and was actually supposed to go in the top five. It’s all about upside with Vonleh, as he was tagged as incredibly raw at the draft, but could possess superstar potential. He is a rare breed, one the can defend and block shots but also space the floor and knock down threes, along with excellent rebounding skills. His production this past year was expectedly poor: 3.3 points, and 3.4 rebounds in just 10.4 minutes per game. The day after the deal, Vonleh was replaced by sweet-shooting big man PF/C Frank Kaminsky in the draft. The Hornets are clearly looking to contend now, and Kaminsky is an upgrade over Vonleh in the short-term, but theroster now lacks anyone with superstar potential.
Batum is actually coming off a disappointing season, though the all-around star did post a career year just the season before. See the comparison for yourself:
For starters, his offensive decline was most alarming. After becoming a respectable scorer in 2014 with admirable efficiency, particularly from beyond the arc, Batum’s numbers fell off a cliff this season, as did his percentages. Not to mention that he was also able to play all 82 games last season, and he also saw a considerable decline in his rebounding numbers. Batum’s owed a combined $24 million for the next two seasons, which is a reasonable contractfor a player of his caliber. He will provide key spacing for low-post scorer star C/PF Al Jefferson, as well as aperimeter defensive ace that Charlotte has sorely needed. He will usurp SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s starting role, another strong defender with a below-average offensive game. There’s now a glaring hole at shooting guard after trading away their two best two-guards, and the Hornets must address that via free agency.
For all the knocks on Batum after his unexpected down year, I do legitimately believe that he will turn it around. Heprojects as a nice complementary piece for the Hornets. Henderson's skillset never really meshed with those of Walker and Jefferson’s, but I don’t like the idea of giving up on Vonleh this early. He was supposed to be bad year one, and was an optimal fit next to Jefferson down low. Charlotte clearly believes that they’re further along in their rebuilding process than they probably really are, and their shooting guard position is now wide open. They’re reallyrolling the dice here that they can land a quality two-guard via free agency, which wasn’t really a risk worth taking. To quote the movie Dodgeball: “That’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for them.”
Grade: B-
For all the knocks on Batum after his unexpected down year, I do legitimately believe that he will turn it around. Heprojects as a nice complementary piece for the Hornets. Henderson's skillset never really meshed with those of Walker and Jefferson’s, but I don’t like the idea of giving up on Vonleh this early. He was supposed to be bad year one, and was an optimal fit next to Jefferson down low. Charlotte clearly believes that they’re further along in their rebuilding process than they probably really are, and their shooting guard position is now wide open. They’re reallyrolling the dice here that they can land a quality two-guard via free agency, which wasn’t really a risk worth taking. To quote the movie Dodgeball: “That’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for them.”
Grade: B-
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