With more than just roster improvements available ahead of the trade deadline, a lot of teams look to simply make a salary dump or two to free up some extra cap space. This is the route the Portland Trail Blazers have reportedly elected to take.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Blazers have dealt forward Noah Vonleh and cash to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the rights to 32-year-old Milovan Rakovic.
Portland has traded Noah Vonleh and cash to Chicago for the rights to Milocan Rakovic, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2018
Wojnarowski also reports that the Blazers now fall under the luxury tax after shedding Vonleh’s contract.
Portland gets under the luxury tax and gets a $3.5M traded player exception.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2018
Still a younger prospect at just 22 years old, Noah Vonleh brings some untapped potential along with him to a young Bulls team. Vonleh was selected with a top 10 pick when the Charlotte Hornets selected him with the 9th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Vonleh had since been traded to the Blazers, his second pro destination in which he just didn’t fit well.
Vonleh will look to turn his fortune around with this up and coming Bulls team but an immediate impact shouldn’t be expected. In fact, Vonleh may have to accustom himself to more of the same as Chicago already rosters a pair of solid young frontcourt options in rookie Lauri Markkanen and Bobby Portis in addition to veteran Robin Lopez.
