Dwight Howard has surpassed expectations this season for the Hornets. In 58 games, Howard is averaging 15.4 PPG and 12.8 RPG for Charlotte, which is his best output since 2013/14 for a season in which he played more than 41 games.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer opines that trading Howard after such a productive season may be the team’s best option of shedding salary. Howard will make $23MM next season and if the Hornets can get some salary relief and young players in return, Charlotte should pull the trigger, Bonnell writes.
A trade would mean that Howard would join his fourth team in four years. This time, however, he would be dealt because his value is high rather than as a straight salary dump.
“If I went back and told our trainers in Orlando, and our strength coaches, that he was going to be playing at this level now, with the state that his knee was back then, they would have said, ‘No way,’” said head coach Steve Clifford, who was a coach with the Magic and Lakers during Howard’s stints with those organizations. “You’re talking about a guy that’s had major knee surgery and major back surgery … You’d never know it.”
Check out other Southeast Division notes below:
- Howard drew his 12th technical foul of the season in Friday’s road contest against the Wizards, Bonnell writes in a separate story. The center has a history of racking up technical fouls; he is now four away from an automatic suspension.
- It has been three years since the Heat acquired an All-Star caliber player (Goran Dragic) and seven years since the team assembled LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in South Beach. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald looks at the future and Miami’s chance of landing another top free agent.
- Tomas Satoransky has played well for the Wizards as the team has struggled with injuries and lack of depth at the point guard position. Candance Buckner of the Washington Post writes that Satoransky and the team are both happy to see reinforcements on the way — including Ramon Sessions, who signed a 10-day deal — to aid the team in the postseason chase.
There’s no way the Hornets are able to find some team to take on Howard and his salary AND get back young players. The teams with cap space this summer are all rebuilders and aren’t taking Howard. Any contender who wants him is likely going to offer another bad contract in return.
Howard for Noah and a 2nd rounder or two if Kanter leaves? NY adds a starting caliber center and gets rid of Noah while Charlotte gets 6 million or so in salary relief and a couple picks.
That doesn’t do much for Charlotte. They need to clear some of the bad contracts they have. While Noah makes less than Howard, I don’t think the roughly $5m in cap savings next year is worth the additional $19m they would have to take on the following year. But that’s the only real deals Charlotte would get offered. A bad contract with less money but another year or two in exchange for Howard. Considering that was basically the Howard trade anyway, it doesn’t make much sense to do that again. They’re better off holding on to him through next year so his cap hit comes off the books.
Plus, his numbers aren’t really that much better than last year. His scoring is up about 2 ppg but he’s taking more shots and shooting at a slightly worse percentage. He’s averaging the same amount of rebounds and assists; his blocks are slightly up but his turnovers are also up. I don’t see how an extra 2 ppg from last year somehow gets them something significantly better than what they sent to the Hawks.