Atlanta Hawks centre Dwight Howard has been shipped to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Marco Bellineli, Miles Plumlee and the 41st pick. Also going with Howard is the 31st pick.
Atlanta has consistently been in trade rumours, with star player Paul Milsap reportedly being on the trading block earlier this year. It appears that the Hawks have decided to start their rebuild after they lost All-Star centre Al Horford to the Celtics in free agency.
While Howard did not return to his Magic self, he did average a double-double with the Hawks, providing leadership as Atlanta finished 5th in the east. The 31-year-old centre averaged 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds.
For the Hornets, they failed to capitalise on last year’s performance, falling our of the playoffs and into the lottery. While Howard won’t be their dominant big man they hope for, it will hopefully give them stability in the 5 spot, something they have suffered from over the last several seasons.
The Sideline Report 