Swarm and Sting
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Charlotte Hornets to Acquire Miles Plumlee From Milwaukee for Hibbert and Hawes

By Jerry Stephens

Oct 26, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Miles Plumlee (18) (center), Charlotte Hornets center Roy Hibbert (55) (left) and guard Nicolas Batum (5) (right) reach for the loose ball during the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Miles Plumlee (18) (center), Charlotte Hornets center Roy Hibbert (55) (left) and guard Nicolas Batum (5) (right) reach for the loose ball during the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Charlotte Hornets are reportedly set to acquire a new big man in Miles Plumless as they have reached a trade agreement with the Bucks.

According to multiple reports (First by ESPN), the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks have reached a deal that would send Miles Plumlee to the Queen City with Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes on the way out. The deal reportedly won’t include any draft picks. In addition with this deal, the Hornets have signed Mike Tobey to a 10-Day contract from the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA D-League. (Shams Charania)

Rich Cho and company didn’t wait until the trade deadline this season to start making moves. Charlotte needed something different like a trade to help turn around their season as they are currently slumping. This is an under the radar move for them and even if it doesn’t look great on paper, it may be a sign of more to come.

The interesting thing about the deal is the Hornets taking on Miles’ massive contract. He is set to make $12.5 million through the 2019-20 season. Charlotte unloaded the $6+ million deal of Hawes and the $5 million contract of Hibbert but they took on a long-term one in Plumlee. Interesting to say the least.

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In 32 games for the Bucks this season, Plumlee is only averaging 2.6 points per game and 1.7 rebounds per game in 9.7 minutes. He is also shooting 44.1% from the field and 62.9% from the free throw line. His numbers aren’t great but he also hasn’t been given a big role in Milwaukee.

So far this season, Hibbert averaged 5.2 points per game (career-worst), 3.6 rebounds per game, and 1.0 blocks per game. He played in 42 games (started 13) and largely served as the main backup center to Cody Zeller. Roy’s never really found his rhythm under Steve Clifford after being signed this past summer.

Hawes averaged 7.3 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, and 1.8 assists per game in 35 games so far this season. He averaged 17.9 minutes per game but was scarcely used in games where Zeller and Hibbert were both healthy. While he did have a $6 million player option that he likely would’ve opted into next season, Spencer was putting up some decent numbers for the team.

In some salary cap related news, this trade “gets the Hornets over the cap and therefore will have the largest MLE at their disposal this summer.” (Mason Ginsberg) So while they did take on a big contract, they created some extra spending money for the upcoming offseason.

Maybe the overlooked part of the move was that the Hornets gave Mike Tobey a 10-day contract to fill out their center spots. Is this a temporary fix or will he be signed for the remainder of the season? Only time will tell.

Next: Making a Trade for Serge

This trade could be a sign of things to come for the Charlotte Hornets as the February 23rd trade deadline approaches. They now have a roster spot to acquire another player in a deal. They still need major upgrades, expect Cho and management to be involved in a number of other deals and rumors from here on out.

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