The Charlotte Hornets have traded the draft rights to Dwight Powell and Brendan Haywood to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The move saves the Hornets $2.2 million.

Powell played collegiately at Stanford.

Noah Vonleh saw his draft position slide a bit on Thursday night, but was still a top-10 selection as the Charlotte Hornets took him ninth overall.

Vonleh, who told RealGM on Wednesday that he has been working on extending his range as an adjustment to the NBA, believes he fits in very well with Charlotte’s current roster.

“I think I can definitely complement [Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker], playing in the pick-and-roll with Kemba, being able to pop, hit the shot from 18 feet, step out, hit some NBA threes, catch the ball, be able to take guys off the dribble, and just use my versatility to the best of my abilities,” Vonleh said after he was drafted.

Vonleh didn’t work out for the Hornets, so he was humbled to have essentially been drafted by Michael Jordan.

“It’s a great feeling being able to be picked by the greatest to play the game,” Vonleh said. “He obviously saw something in me. I didn’t even come into Charlotte to work out, so I guess I was the best available on the board, and he saw something in me. They ended up choosing me, so I’m very blessed and excited."

The Charlotte Hornets are firmly focused on acquiring shooters this offseason.

The Hornets own the ninth overall pick and are believed to be targeting Doug McDermott, Nik Stauskas or Gary Harris.

Charlotte offered Gerald Henderson and the 24th overall pick to the Orlando Magic for Arron Afflalo.

Afflalo was traded on Thursday to the Denver Nuggets.

Josh McRoberts has decided to decline his player option for the 2014-15 season.

McRoberts averaged 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in his first season with Charlotte.

"Josh McRoberts did not exercise his player option," Rich Cho said on Wednesday. "He will be a free agent. He is a big part of our team and we hope to re-sign him."

Rod Higgins abruptly stepped down as president of basketball operations for the Charlotte Hornets.

he news release came shortly after Game 4 of the NBA Finals had ended, an unusual move without much clarification offered for the abruptness.

Rich Cho will remain general manager and assume responsibility for the team's basketball operations. He will report to Michael Jordan and Vice Chairman Curtis Polk.

"I would like to thank Rod for his seven years of dedication to this organization," Hornets owner Michael Jordan said in the release. "Rod has been a consummate professional throughout his time with the team. Thanks to his hard work and commitment, we have an improved roster and we are poised for success in the future. Rod was of great help to me as I navigated my first four years as majority owner of this franchise. I wish him all the best."

Higgins has been with Charlotte since 2007.

A source told the Observer that Higgins was offered a contract but he chose not to accept it. It is unclear if the contract included a change of responsibilities.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will interview Mark Price for their head coaching vacancy.

Price spent last season as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets.

Price played for the Cavaliers between 1986 and 1995, making three All-Star teams.

Michael Jordan has believed the Charlotte Hornets would one day become a free agent destination and now feels that time is now.

“I always thought it was a great destination. I think Big Al (Jefferson) proved you can come here and make a big difference,” Jordan said. “Hopefully we can look at that and attract some other superstar.”

“I think we can make a big difference. We did last year with Big Al and some of the other acquisitions. I don’t anticipate this being any different. I think we’ll try to improve on what we did last year, which I’m very proud of.

“The guys came out and took the initiative from coach. He was able to bond and get a really good effort. This (off-season) we have a lot of flexibility. I’ve been speaking about that the last three to four years – (how) that flexibility is very important. We’ll utilize every resource to improve the team. I don’t think that will change this summer.”

The Hornets have three picks in the June 26 NBA draft (Nos. 9, 24 and 45) and at least $13 million in space under the salary cap.

Jordan hopes to keep Josh McRoberts, who holds a player option on his contract and whom Jordan believes is a crucial piece to the Hornets.

The Charlotte Hornets reached the playoffs on the strength of their defense, as well as limiting turnovers offensively. But they will look to upgrade their offensive capabilities in the offseason.

The Hornets will likely use at least one of their first round picks on upgrading their wing shooting.

Creighton’s Doug McDermott, Michigan State’s Gary Harris and Michigan’s Nik Stauskas all shot 40 percent or better from the college 3-point line last season.

The NBA has announced its 13-14 All-NBA Teams:

1st Team
Kevin Durant
LeBron James
Joakim Noah
Chris Paul
James Harden

2nd Team
Stephen Curry
Blake Griffin
Kevin Love
Dwight Howard
Tony Parker

3rd Team
Al Jefferson
Paul George
LaMarcus Aldridge
Goran Dragic
Damian Lillard 

The idea of a lottery pick in this year's draft being available in trade talks is a surprising development, but several teams appear amenable to a deal.

"I thought getting a lottery pick via trade would be virtually impossible this year," one NBA GM said. "It's not. There are a lot of teams in the lottery right now that would prefer a proven player. A lot of owners have lost their patience with the rebuilding process."

The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns are all open to offers for their lottery picks, according to sources.

The Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors are expected to be especially busy looking to move up or to acquire a second pick.