What offseason? A week after Finals, NBA in overdrive

The Hawks will also receive the 31st pick in the draft. Howard is basically a league average starting center who wrecks the spacing of an offense and still remains incapable of grasping the reality of what he does best.

Not even a year after he signed a three-year deal worth more than $70 million, the Hawks are done with the Howard experiment after he did little in the playoffs against Marcin Gortat and the Wizards.

During the last few seasons, Howard has struggled to find the right roll for him. Then came the postgame press conference following the Hawks’ Game 2 loss to Washington in the first round. Howard had a diminished role in the playoffs and was unhappy with his playing time.

Channel 9 asked fans if they would buy tickets to the Spectrum Center to see Howard play.

The blunt truth is the Hornets gave up next to nothing to make this deal.

This will be Howard’s fifth National Basketball Association team. The Hornets are banking on Clifford’s ability to bring out the best in Howard.

Since leaving Orlando in 2012, Howard played for three teams in five seasons.

Howard’s averages with the Hawks – 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds – were close to his production in his last of three seasons with Houston in 2015-16.

Hornets Owner Michael Jordan would love to get back into the playoffs, and it will likely require a playoff appearance for General Manager Rich Cho to stay in his job. The Hawks were left without the elite passing center who helped the team be among league leaders in generating wide open shots throughout the Budenholzer-Horford partnership. Then trade demands, “a weird Diet Pepsi-centric press conference next to Stan Van Gundy, a disastrous season with the Los Angeles Lakers, and a disappointing tenure with the Houston Rockets turned Howard into a national punchline”. But that’s offset by the fact that Plumlee’s contract runs a year longer than Howard’s, meaning an extra $12.5 million on Atlanta’s 2019-20 payroll. “We look forward to him continuing his career here in Charlotte”.

These are exciting times for a franchise that has never been known for star power. If Clifford signed off on working with Howard again, that’s enough to feel comfortable with the move on that level. The Hornets will now pick 31st, 10 spots ahead of the Hawks.