The Portland Trailblazers had traded long-limbed small forward Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday for guard Gerald Henderson and power forward Noah Vonleh, as per ESPN.

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Speculations arose that the trade was prompted by the announcement of Blazers' All-Star big man LaMarcus Aldridge that he will not be coming back to Portland next season. The Colombian recently reported that an NBA executive close to Aldridge said that the nine-year veteran, who has not played anywhere else but in Portland, had already notified Blazers management that he is not returning to play for the franchise in October.

Although it is not official yet until the calendar turns July 1, league sources said that there is 99.9 percent chance of it taking place. The four-time NBA All-Star is said to be looking for a new environment where he can get the chance to get deeper into the postseason and at the same time would give him the appreciation and recognition that he expects.

The same with Aldridge, Batum also spent all of his seven seasons in the league in Portland and has gradually become the team's most reliable two-way veteran. CBS Sports acknowledged that the trade would benefit the Hornets extensively as the team lacked outside shooting, particularly from three-point distance, to ease the pressure off center Al Jefferson inside the paint.

Batum will also be a better complement to Hornets point guard Kemba Walker than Lance Stephenson ever was. Stephenson was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers nine days earlier for Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes.

Suddenly, the Hornets seemed to have one of the better defensive starting lineups in the Eastern Conference with Jefferson and Marvin Williams inside, Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the wings, and Walker as the safety guard. Batum and Kidd-Gilchrist's exceptional wingspans would give recurring headaches to a lot of coaches as to how they would penetrate them.

Another possible scenario for Charlotte is to play small ball, which is the current trend in the NBA today, and start Batum or Kidd-Gilchrist at the four spot with either Mo Williams or Troy Daniels partnering Walker in the backcourt.

Meanwhile, the Blazers takes in a starter at shooting guard with Henderson and a reliable backup power forward with Vonleh. Reports suggest that the Blazers' current two spot starter Wesley Matthews is expected to be let go in free agency as well as back up Aaron Afflalo, which would explain Henderson's acquisition.

TagsNBA 2015, NBA news, NBA News 2015, NBA rumors, NBA Rumors 2015, NBA Trade Rumors, NBA trade rumors 2015, Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets