Breaking Down the Hornets' Bizarre Dwight Howard Trade
Breaking Down the Hornets' Bizarre Dwight Howard Trade
Adrian Wojnarowski's report that Charlotte was trading Dwight Howard for Timofey Mozgov comes as a shock. What does it mean for the Hornets?
Adrian Wojnarowski's report that Charlotte was trading Dwight Howard for Timofey Mozgov comes as a shock. What does it mean for the Hornets?
On Wednesday morning, the great Adrian Wojnarowski dropped his latest (admittedly somewhat minor) Woj Bomb:
In a second tweet, Wojnarowski defined the full terms of the deal: Howard would be sent to Brooklyn in return for Mozgov and a pair of second-round picks. If that seems like a bad trade for Charlotte, there’s a simple explanation: it is.
That’s not to say there aren’t any positives to swapping Howard for Mozgov. While the latter’s contract is one of the worst in the league based on his production, it will save Michael Jordan and company some cash in the short term as it will help the team dodge a big tax bill this season. And while Howard seemed to be getting along with his teammates in Buzz City, it’s not exactly shocking to see reports of him being unpopular in the locker room. Additionally, trading Howard means more time for two other centers on the roster: Cody Zeller, one of the most underrated big men in the league when he’s healthy, and Willy Hernangomez, the promising 23-year-old acquired from the Knicks last season
Despite all of that, the trade still feels like a loss. Even with his flaws, Howard was still easily the second-best player in Charlotte last year, and Mozgov is a massive downgrade. That’s a painful loss for a team that probably needs a good season to hang on to their All-Star point guard. Additionally, while the 31-year-old Russian big man’s deal might be less in 2018-19, it’s one year longer – Howard will be a free agent after the upcoming season, while Mozgov is on the books through 2020. That’s almost $17 million less room to re-sign Kemba Walker, assuming he’s even still around at that point, or anyone else to either play alongside him or replace him.
Is a pair of second-round picks and dodging the tax this year worth such a major downgrade and the loss of flexibility in the future? That seems unlikely. And unless Mitch Kupchak is really just so enamored with Mozgov that he wants to double down on the $64 million mistake he made in 2016, that could signal that Charlotte isn’t quite done dealing.
Perhaps the Hornets’ head brass has made the decision that the best way to move forward is to launch a full-fledged rebuild, and the first step was to move Howard. That would mean the next player on the move could very well be Walker himself, signaling the end of an era in Charlotte and the beginning of a painful couple of years. In that case, the return for Howard may be better than it initially appears – the market for a 32-year-old big man with back issues and an attitude problem probably isn’t very great, especially when he’s going to his fourth team in as many years. And there’s no sense in paying the tax on a rebuilding team, so clearing out short-term salary even if it ties the team up for one year more makes sense.
The surprise trade has left Hornets fans searching for answers. And they might actually find them soon, in the form of the NBA Draft. This year’s draft is already as full of intrigue as it is talent; if Charlotte decided to pull the trigger and trade Walker, then they’re just adding to it. The team could try to land another lottery pick, or package number 11 and a player to move a few spots up.
Another trade revolving around draft picks could help shed some light on what the Hornets are doing here. A lack of activity could cloud the Kupchak era in Charlotte almost immediately after it began.
On Wednesday morning, the great Adrian Wojnarowski dropped his latest (admittedly somewhat minor) Woj Bomb:
In a second tweet, Wojnarowski defined the full terms of the deal: Howard would be sent to Brooklyn in return for Mozgov and a pair of second-round picks. If that seems like a bad trade for Charlotte, there’s a simple explanation: it is.
That’s not to say there aren’t any positives to swapping Howard for Mozgov. While the latter’s contract is one of the worst in the league based on his production, it will save Michael Jordan and company some cash in the short term as it will help the team dodge a big tax bill this season. And while Howard seemed to be getting along with his teammates in Buzz City, it’s not exactly shocking to see reports of him being unpopular in the locker room. Additionally, trading Howard means more time for two other centers on the roster: Cody Zeller, one of the most underrated big men in the league when he’s healthy, and Willy Hernangomez, the promising 23-year-old acquired from the Knicks last season
Despite all of that, the trade still feels like a loss. Even with his flaws, Howard was still easily the second-best player in Charlotte last year, and Mozgov is a massive downgrade. That’s a painful loss for a team that probably needs a good season to hang on to their All-Star point guard. Additionally, while the 31-year-old Russian big man’s deal might be less in 2018-19, it’s one year longer – Howard will be a free agent after the upcoming season, while Mozgov is on the books through 2020. That’s almost $17 million less room to re-sign Kemba Walker, assuming he’s even still around at that point, or anyone else to either play alongside him or replace him.
Is a pair of second-round picks and dodging the tax this year worth such a major downgrade and the loss of flexibility in the future? That seems unlikely. And unless Mitch Kupchak is really just so enamored with Mozgov that he wants to double down on the $64 million mistake he made in 2016, that could signal that Charlotte isn’t quite done dealing.
Perhaps the Hornets’ head brass has made the decision that the best way to move forward is to launch a full-fledged rebuild, and the first step was to move Howard. That would mean the next player on the move could very well be Walker himself, signaling the end of an era in Charlotte and the beginning of a painful couple of years. In that case, the return for Howard may be better than it initially appears – the market for a 32-year-old big man with back issues and an attitude problem probably isn’t very great, especially when he’s going to his fourth team in as many years. And there’s no sense in paying the tax on a rebuilding team, so clearing out short-term salary even if it ties the team up for one year more makes sense.
The surprise trade has left Hornets fans searching for answers. And they might actually find them soon, in the form of the NBA Draft. This year’s draft is already as full of intrigue as it is talent; if Charlotte decided to pull the trigger and trade Walker, then they’re just adding to it. The team could try to land another lottery pick, or package number 11 and a player to move a few spots up.
Another trade revolving around draft picks could help shed some light on what the Hornets are doing here. A lack of activity could cloud the Kupchak era in Charlotte almost immediately after it began.