Hornets take Wisconsin's Kaminsky with 9th pick

CHARLOTTE — (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets have selected Wisconsin power forward Frank Kaminsky with the ninth overall pick in the NBA draft.

The 7-foot-1, 242-pound Kaminsky was The Associated Press Player of the Year this past season, leading the Badgers to the Final Four.

He was the only Division I player to average at least 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists and 1.5 blocks for the season. Kaminsky averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the Badgers while shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from 3-point range.

Click here to read a list of players who participated in Hornets pre-draft workouts.

The Hornets have been busy leading up to the draft, making three trades in the last 10 days in an effort to improve their outside shooting.

They passed on Justise Winslow and Devin Booker to take Kaminsky.

The Associated Press

The Charlotte Hornets continue to revamp their roster after a disappointing season in which they didn't shoot the ball well and failed to make the playoffs.

The Hornets acquired wing Nicolas Batum from the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night in exchange for guard Gerald Henderson and power forward Noah Vonleh.

The deal comes nine days after the Hornets sent Lance Stephenson to the Los Angeles Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes.

"We felt like we needed some more shooting and we feel like we have addressed that," Hornets general manager Rich Cho said.

Cho added the Hornets probably aren't done wheeling and dealing as the attempt to upgrade their shooting.

Cho said he expects Batum will start at the two guard spot while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will remain at small forward.

The 6-foot-8, 200-pound Batum spent the last seven seasons with Portland. He started 71 games in 2014-15, averaging 9.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists while battling a nagging wrist injury.

The Hornets finished last in the NBA last season in 3-point shooting and are hopeful Batum can help them take pressure — and double teams — away from center Al Jefferson in the low post. The 26-year-old Batum is a career 36 percent 3-point shooter, although he shot a career-low 32.4 percent last season.

Henderson, 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, started 72 games last season and played in 80, averaging 12.1 points and 3.4 rebounds. He shot 33.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Henderson's scoring output dropped off last season after averaging at least 14 points in each of the previous three seasons.

The 6-foot-10, 215-pound Vonleh was considered a project when the Hornets took him with the No. 9 overall pick in 2014 draft out of Indiana.

WSOC