Why Dwight Howard won’t work on the Charlotte Hornets
By Noah Elmore
Unanimous praise rang out from Charlotte Hornets’ fans when the news broke of the Howard Trade. That may be premature: here’s why.
Late Tuesday night, Adrian Wojnarowski reported the details of a trade the Charlotte Hornets completed with the Atlanta Hawks. The Hornets traded away Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli, and pick 41 and received Dwight Howard and pick 31 from the Hawks. Hornets fans immediately applauded the move.
However, there may be some reason for pause. The 6’11” 265-pound big man doesn’t come at a perfect price. Howard will cost 47 million dollars over the next two years. For a team that was already projected over the cap, this move effectively locks the Hornets into their core for the next couple of seasons.
Howard may cost the Hornets more than 47 million dollars, in all reality though. Team chemistry almost always ends up decimated in the wake of Howard. The “Dwightmare” was real in Orlando, Los Angeles, and Houston. For a team that hasn’t had chemistry issues, it may be costly to add a personality like Howard in the locker room.
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It remains to be seen how Howard will be integrated into the rotation. The importance of Cody Zeller is well-documented for the Hornets. After the Hornets posted a 2-15 record without Zeller, it may not be worth sacrificing Zeller’s starting role to Howard. Additionally, Howard has not shown a willingness or desire to play off the bench. Steve Clifford’s rotation will play a crucial role in determining the success of the Hornets next year.
Of course, it’s always possible to slot Zeller at the 4 and bring Marvin Williams off the bench, but that’s dangerously awful spacing on a team with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Nicolas Batum, who respectively shot 11% and 33% from deep. The Hornets could also try an ultra-big lineup with Marvin Williams at the SF slot. While marginally better shooting wise (Williams shot 35% from three last season), that would be an abysmal defensive lineup.
Make no mistake, in all reality, the trade is a win for the Hornets. Clearing Miles Plumlee from the books long term is an A+ move all on its own, and moving up in the draft is just icing on the cake. It would be wise though, to temper expectations.
Next: Why the Hornets should trade up for Jayson Tatum
Howard locks up flexibility for the Hornets short-term, may be dangerous to team chemistry, and will be tricky at best to integrate with Cody Zeller. Trader Cho worked his magic once again, we’ll just have to see if Dwight can work his.