The Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls struck a trade before the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline on Thursday involving Noah Vonleh.
As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Portland Trail Blazers traded power forward Noah Vonleh and cash to the Chicago Bulls. The Blazers got the rights to an overseas player, Milovan Rakovic.
The trade was announced just about an hour before the 3 p.m. (ET) deadline.
NBCSNW reporter Jason Quick, tweeted out shortly after that the Blazers would not be making any more deals during the deadline.
The Blazers were rumored to be active at the deadline and were okay with trading anyone besides Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum.
Fans of the Blazers were wanting a big splash trade for a player like DeAndre Jordan or Kevin Love, but it didn’t happen and the Blazers decided not to trade any meaningful players.
Why the Blazers made this trade
The Blazers made this deal strictly for financial reasons, just like the Allen Crabbe trade this past summer:
The luxury tax savings for Portland since this summer is $43M based on the Allen Crabbe and Noah Vonleh trade. The savings does not reflect the $19.3M, $18.5M and $18.5M Allen Crabbe salary that was traded to Brooklyn. The Trail Blazers are now... https://t.co/SiAW9WVvXP
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 8, 2018
This trade with the Bulls cuts the Trail Blazers salary from $122.2 million to $118.7 million. That got them under the luxury tax, and they also gained a $3.5 million trade exception that expires in one year.
The Blazers were granted the $3.5 million exception because they took no salary back in this deal.
Portland didn’t take on any contracts and didn’t have to give up any draft picks to move a guy so they could get below the tax. Even though it’s not a flashy trade, it’s a smart one.
Portland also creates a $3.5M trade exception to go along with a $12.9M exception that was created last summer. https://t.co/vaxemDwZVS
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 8, 2018
The Blazers now have two open roster spots and could look to be active in the buyout market over the next few weeks.
For Blazer fans who wanted a big move this deadline, this trade won’t make them very happy. They lose another young guy on the roster and don’t get anything in return. However, it was a necessary, good trade for the Blazers, who now can wait and try and make a big splash this summer.
What did the Blazers get
The Trail Blazers received the rights to Milovan Rakovic. He is a 6’10″, 280-pound center who plays in Serbia. The Dallas Mavericks drafted Rakovic with the 60th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. He has never played a minute in the NBA and now at the age of 32, that likely won’t change.
The Blazers received Rakovic in the deal because per NBA rules, the Bulls must send an asset in the trade. An asset is defined as a player under contract, $75,000 or more in cash, a draft pick or the rights to a player.
The Bulls chose to give the Blazers the rights to an overseas player instead of a draft pick or a guy on their roster. Chicago had cap space so they could take on Vonleh with no issue and have a risk-free trial with him.
Vonleh and Portland didn’t work out
Noah Vonleh was acquired along with Gerald Henderson back in 2015 when the Blazers traded Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets.
Vonleh was the ninth pick back in the 2014 NBA draft out of the University of Indiana. After a rough rookie season in Charlotte, Vonleh was traded to Rip City.
Portland tried to develop Vonleh by playing him meaningful minutes and even putting him in the starting lineup. He played 185 games in Portland and started 109 of them.
Vonleh showed flashes of what he was capable of doing but just never put it all together to make a meaningful impact on the Blazers. He played three seasons in Portland and averaged 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 points, 0.4 assists and 0.3 blocks per game.
The Trail Blazers had a lot of big guys on their roster and needed to move on from one of them. The emergence of Zach Collins and his fast development pushed Vonleh out of the rotation. He hasn’t played meaningful minutes since early December.
After three seasons of trying with Vonleh, it was time for the Blazers to move on from him.
Nice move for the Bulls
The 22-year-old now goes to a young struggling Chicago Bulls team that can play Vonleh and not worry about winning games. He can compete with Bobby Portis for the backup power forward position.
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The Bulls traded a player they had no use for, for a player who could eventually develop into a meaningful player for them.
Vonleh is 6’10″, 240 pounds and can play both center and power forward. He is a physical and active player with massive hands. He has excellent defensive potential and strong rebounding skills. Vonleh showed he could space the floor on offense with his shooting as well as finishing strong at the rim.
This trade may be an excellent fit for Vonleh to develop his game and maybe finally have his breakout moment in the NBA. The Bulls have a few months to see what they have with him before he hits free agency. He is a restricted free agent, so the Bulls would be able to match any offer he is given.
What’s next for the Blazers
The Blazers are in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race and are in a position to finish anywhere between third and eighth. This trade did not hurt their team in any way on the court, and they could still add a player during the buyout market to help them in the playoffs.
The Blazers are winning games and have been staying competitive this season, so it makes sense why they didn’t make any significant moves to break up the roster. If they get on a nice winning streak, they could be a top-four team in the West.
If Portland were struggling as a bottom team in the West, they may have made more trades to switch up the roster.
The Blazers have been preaching patience for a few seasons now and now need their fanbase to just trust the process. C.J. McCollum made a good point when he said things could be a lot worse for the team.
This trade helps the Blazers take a step in the right direction to fixing their mistakes from the 2016 summer and helping them prepare for moves in the future.
Next: Biggest winners and losers of the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline
General manager Neil Olshey still has free agency and the NBA Draft to try and shed some contracts and make this team better for the future. For now though, Olshey continues to play chess, not checkers.