Atlanta Hawks Trade Rumors: Dwight Howard's Trade Value Is at an All-Time Low
Dwight Howard was all smiles when he joined his hometown team the Atlanta Hawks last summer. But he was no longer smiling after the Washington Wizards knocked the Hawks out of the playoffs.
Howard is not happy with his diminished role in Atlanta. That much is certain.
He didn't complain publicly when his minutes were reduced toward the end of the regular season, but he couldn't hide his frustrations during the exit interviews earlier this week and this puts the team in a bind.
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Howard is a terrible fit with the Hawks. While he's still a good rebounder and a solid interior defender, Howard is just a dreadful just pick-and-roll defender and that's the bread-and-butter play of every single team in the league these days. If he can't defend that then he's a liability on the defensive end of the court. To make matters worse, he doesn't have much to offer at the offensive end of the floor either since he has never developed an offensive game.
The Hawks can always trade him this offseason. However, after polling eight front office executives, ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz said the Hawks probably won't receive much in return for the center. In fact, he said that at best, the team may get a second-round pick and cap relief for Howard.
Well, Howard can actually still contribute for a team that can take advantage of his strengths and hide his weaknesses. But teams clearly don't want to build a complementary roster around a center that is already past his prime.
"A second round pick is certainly not much value for a guy that averaged a double-double and is making $23.5 million per year for two more years, but therein lies the Dwight conundrum. He's still productive, but his productivity is not the kind that translates to team success," UPROXX Sports' Robby Kalland said in his report.
"It's clear from that straw poll of executives that Howard's value has never been lower and that he is running out of teams that think they can fix him."
