Dwight Howard, The Star Nobody Wanted

20 Jun, 2017

The Atlanta Hawks have agreed to trade center Dwight Howard to the Charlotte Hornets, a source told The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears.

Charlotte is sending Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli and the 41st pick in Thursday’s NBA draft to Atlanta for Howard and the 31st pick, the source said.

Howard signed a three-year, $70.5 million deal with his hometown Hawks in July but had a disappointing homecoming. He averaged 13.5 points — his lowest average since his rookie season with the Orlando Magic in 2004-05 — and 12.7 rebounds per game in his lone season in Atlanta. And he sat out the fourth quarter in two of six playoff games during the Hawks’ first-round loss to the Washington Wizards.

This is the first trade made by new Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk.

The move will save the Hawks salary-cap space, and it signals that the franchise will look to rebuild.

Howard, 31, returned to his hometown after three seasons in Houston, where he battled injuries and wasn’t the force he was earlier in his career, with the Magic, before his one-season stint with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In Charlotte, he will be playing for his third team in three seasons.

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