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Charlotte Hornets: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 12, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15), center Bismack Biyombo (8), and forward Noah Vonleh (11) walk toward the bench during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15), center Bismack Biyombo (8), and forward Noah Vonleh (11) walk toward the bench during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Charlotte Hornets
Apr 25, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum (88) reacts to a fan against the Memphis Grizzlies in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /

Trading Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh for Nicolas Batum

This move is a tricky one to grade. On the one hand, the Hornets easily got the best player in the deal, which is always a good thing. Nicolas Batum is a solid defender, a useful three-point shooter and a smart two-way player who will make Charlotte a better team next season.

For those worried about how Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will mesh since they both play the small forward position, take a look at the small-ball Golden State Warriors and how they won a championship despite positional overlap due to the versatility of those players. With long wingspans and elite defense, moving Batum to the 2 or MKG to the 4 could make for some intriguing lineups.

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Five players signed past their prime in the second Hornets era
Five players signed past their prime in the second Hornets era /

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    • Gerald Henderson only had one year and $6 million left on his contract, so even though he was a useful and often underrated wing in Charlotte, the Hornets will now avoid overpaying a role player next summer.

    However, that’s about where the good news stops with this deal. Batum, 26, is coming off a major slump season in which he averaged only 9.4 points per game on 40 percent shooting (32.4 percent from three-point range) — the worst numbers since his rookie season. He also chipped in 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, but even before Wesley Matthews‘ Achilles injury, Batum as a major reason nobody saw the Portland Trail Blazers as legitimate contenders in the West.

    He could just need a change of scenery, but even if Batum bounces back in 2015-16, he’s only on contract for one year. Next summer he’ll be an unrestricted free agent and if he plays as well as the Hornets are hoping, Charlotte won’t be the only team vying for his services.

    Finally, we can’t ignore how the Hornets gave up a lottery pick in Noah Vonleh after only one season. Vonleh hardly cracked the rotation in his first NBA season, averaging 3.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game. But his potential as a stretch-4 was tantalizing, especially since he had three more years on his rookie-scale deal. I’m not sure one guaranteed year of Batum was enough to justify this trade.

    Grade: C

    Next: Trading For Jeremy Lamb

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