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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets trade Dwight Howard, Mitch Kupchak details draft plans

By Jerry Stephens

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: The jersey of Dwight Howard #12 of the Charlotte Hornets as seen during the game against the Washington Wizards on March 31, 2018 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: The jersey of Dwight Howard #12 of the Charlotte Hornets as seen during the game against the Washington Wizards on March 31, 2018 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.

The Atlanta Hawks are reportedly very active in the trade market and are looking to move both Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore. (Twitter) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets trading Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets, Mitch Kupchak detailing the team’s draft plan and

Charlotte trades Dwight Howard to Brooklyn (ESPN.com)

"The Charlotte Hornets have agreed to send Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets for center Timofey Mozgov, two future second-round picks and cash, league sources told ESPN."

Charlotte will receive the Nets’ second-round pick this year (No. 45 overall) and a 2021 second rounder. The Hornets will save $7.8 million this year which gets them under the tax line. Mozgov is under contract until the end of the 2019-20 campaign and will make $16 million this year and $16.7 million next season. Despite his outstanding season, Howard’s individual stats didn’t yield results in terms of wins.

Former NBA player Brendan Haywood reported that the “locker room did not like Dwight Howard” and that guys were just sick and tired of his act.” (Twitter) Josh Parcell tweeted that Steve Clifford like D12 but Kemba didn’t and the players sided with Walker. This deal could be a sign of more moves to come and signal the start of a rebuild in Charlotte.

Kupchak details draft plans (Twitter/ @Rick_Bonnell, @SteveReedAP)

"Reed: Mitch Kupchak said the Hornets will look to draft the best player available. If it comes down to two players they love equally then it may come down to position.Bonnell: “I’d expect that player to be a guard or a wing.” Kupchak on No. 11 (because he believes the top bigs will all be gone)."

It looks like the Hornets’ draft strategy will be to draft the best player available rather than select a player for fit. Mitch said that he would pick a player that didn’t workout for the team such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Wendell Carter Jr. and Miles Bridges. Charlotte’s GM also mentioned that it’s unlikely that they trade their first-round pick (No. 11 overall).

Kupchak said that Charlotte could draft a European player with their second-round pick and let him stay overseas to develop. That is a strategy that the Hornets haven’t utilized in recent years. After adding Brooklyn’s second-round pick, it will be interesting to see if the Hornets’ draft plans change and if they will try to move up.

Hornets to play on a classic court in 2018-19 (NBA.com)

"The Hornets will play on a special classic court with a throwback design and wear new Classic Edition uniforms during the “Classic Night” games, both of which will be unveiled closer to the season."

Charlotte’s 30th year of basketball will feature a throwback court design which should bring back some memories of the Coliseum. The Classic Edition uniforms this season will be similar to last year’s teal pinstripe jerseys but instead be white.

This is a great way for the Hornets to get more fans to games after ranking 26th in the league in attendance this past season. The team needs to find a way to get more people in the seats of the Spectrum Center.

Next: Steve Clifford wanted Donovan Mitchell

Muggsy Bogues has also been made a team ambassador. The classic games will feature appearances from Hornets’ legends such as Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson and Glen Rice while also honoring those players.

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