The Portland Trail Blazers made a move today, shipping Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets for Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson.
This past season, Batum recorded 9.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game. These numbers, while they're good, are not to the level that they were in his 2013-14 season.
Even though Batum is a bench player, he can be effective. He is good at shooting the ball, he is a good ball handler, and he is also a good rebounder. He is a source of energy for his team, and he has the ability to put up 10-13 points a game off the bench. While also excelling on defense, he is a good leader in the locker room.
Charlotte are getting a good forward in Batum; they can put him in the starting lineup or the bench, as he can be effective anywhere. They need forward-help, so this fills a void of theirs. Batum is sure to bring some scoring to the Charlotte offense - and perhaps a change of scenery will better his statistics.
Portland, in turn, is getting a good player in Henderson, and the depth of Vonleh will help them out on the bench.
Charlotte also acquired Jeremy Lamb of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the contract of Matt Barnes.