Hawks Trade Dwight Howard and No. 31 Pick to Hornets

The Atlanta Hawks completely shocked the NBA on Tuesday night. While the trade rumors around the league seem to be picking up steam ahead of the 2017 NBA draft, the Hawks made a trade of their own, which included their starting center. The decision left many stunned, as the team has agreed to trade center Dwight Howard after just one season, according to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears.

Spears, who corrected himself after calling Charlotte by the wrong name, broke the news, but soon after The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the full details of the trade, which are equally as surprising.

It’s a shocking move by the Hawks, as Howard was just one year into his tenure with his hometown team. In his first season, Howard averaged 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, which is the most rebounds he’s averaged since the 2011-12 season with the Orlando Magic.

The timing probably couldn’t have been worse for Howard, who posted on Twitter asking fans to give him their thoughts about the draft and potential trades that could happen.

As you can imagine, multiple fans immediately jump on the tweet, giving all kinds of responses to the uncomfortable situation.

The 31-year-old center will now head to the fifth different team of his career in the Hornets. Charlotte, on the other hand, needed a consistent center, although Cody Zeller had shown flashes of being consistent and could play alongside Howard. It’s not all bad news for Howard, as he’ll play alongside an All-Star caliber point guard in Kemba Walker on a team who won 48 games in 2015-16.

Possibly the most surprising part of the deal is that the Hornets actually got to swap their No. 41 pick for the No. 31 pick as well. The Hawks really must have wanted to get rid of Howard’s contract, which includes cap hits of $23.5 million and over $23.8 million the next two seasons.

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