Hawks should trade any two players for Dwight Howard
If Orlando wants Josh Smith and another player to get Dwight Howard, fine (Curtis Compton)
NBA teams are starting to open their facility doors to players, having conversations with agents and formulating plans for their respective rosters.
What a great time for the Hawks to push for the one move they could make that would grab everybody’s attention, fill Philips Arena and possibly move them closer to title contention: Trade for Dwight Howard.
I realize this is a long shot. But Howard almost certainly is going to be traded some time over the next several months. He can opt out of his contract after this season and there’s no indication that he wants to stay in Orlando.
Howard never has stated that he wants to come back home to Atlanta to play center for the Hawks. But let’s put the team’s potential sales pitch to him on hold for just a minute.
Here’s the plan, after my high-level talks with Michael “Ice Man” Cunningham: Tell the Magic they can have any two players they want.
At some point, Orlando will come to the realization that it can’t convince Howard to stay so management will go looking for the best deal. I can’t believe any other team in the league could offer as valuable a trade package as the Hawks can. Tell the Magic that they can take Joe Johnson and Al Horford. Or Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. Or Al Horford and Josh Smith.
Regardless of which two players Orlando chooses, the Hawks would have the most dominant center in the game and the major marketing piece the franchise needs in this city. Their starting two pieces toward building an NBA title contender: Howard and Johnson (I can see the commercials now), Howard and Horford or Howard and Smith (reuniting the pre-school teammates).
Now, about Howard. There are ramifications of the new collective bargaining agreement that I freely (and proudly) admit ignorance about. I’m aware that impending free agents don’t quite have the leverage they used to (see: Carmelo Anthony). Therefore, Howard might prefer just opting out of his contract, hitting the open market and getting a longer, more lucrative deal as a free agent than he could in some sort of extend-and-trade situation.
But the Hawks have ammunition if they want to pitch Howard:
• 1.) Atlanta is home. His parents, family and friends can watch him play.
• 2.) The cap space cleared by two high-profile players leaving would give the Hawks the ability to pursue other players in trade and free agency. Howard’s presence also immediately makes Atlanta a more attractive option for other NBA players, many of whom already live here in the offseason.
• 3.) Howard wants to build his brand. That’s understandable. But he doesn’t need to go to Los Angeles or New York to do that. The Hawks need only show him last week’s New York Times story that was titled, “Stars Flock to Atlanta, Reshaping a Center of Black Culture.”
Excerpts from the story:
” … Fueled by a generous entertainment tax credit, the migration of affluent African-Americans from the North and the surprising fact that even celebrities appreciate the lower cost of living here, this capital of the Deep South is emerging as an epicenter of the black glitterati. …
To be sure, Atlanta has long had a high concentration of well-connected, affluent blacks. But the Atlanta area is now home to such a critical mass of successful actors, rappers and entertainment executives that few would argue its position as the center of black culture. Tyler Perry and his movie and television empire are based here. Sean Combs has a house in a suburb north of the city. The musicians Cee Lo Green, Ludacris and members of OutKast call it home. So does the music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri.
Gladys Knight, an Atlanta native who was honored at the awards, which were taped Nov. 17, runs a chicken and waffle restaurant here. And it is not unusual to spot Usher at one of the city’s better restaurants.”
The Hawks’ biggest problem handicapping them in this situation: ownership. Regardless of what you think about the Atlanta Spirit, they are trying to sell the team and arena rights. (A potential sale to Alex Meruelo fell through four weeks ago.) Major trades, contracts, hirings and firings generally don’t happen when an ownership situation is in flux.
But this is a trade the Hawks need to pursue. As much as last year’s playoff showing was impressive — eliminating Orlando and taking Chicago to six games — few have a sense that this team could maneuver through the Eastern Conference, past Chicago, Miami and Boston, to get to the NBA finals.
Acquiring Howard is one huge step toward making that possible. He is worth any two players Orlando may want.
By Jeff Schultz
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204 comments Add your comment
Pete
December 1st, 2011
12:10 am
Dwight Howard and Chris Paul need to go to the Knicks there lineup would be awesome.
1. Chris Paul
2. Landry Fields
3. Carmelo Anthony
4. Amare Stoudemire
5. Dwight Howard
NBA talk is finally about action on the court – USA Today | Sports News Alert
December 1st, 2011
12:47 am
[...] Be MurkierNew York TimesNBA Rumors: Teams Determined To Make a Big Splash This SeasonBleacher ReportHawks should trade any two players for Dwight HowardAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)Ology -FS Florida -Orlando Sentinelall 276 news [...]
Tom Shane
December 1st, 2011
1:22 am
I have to say this would be a very stupid idea. Josh is an awesome defender and when his playing smart he’s defiantly one of the top 10 players in the league. Plus without Horford, Howard wouldn’t have a true power forward to back him up especially in terms of outside shooting. Finally and probably most importantly Joe is way overpaid, lacks true top tier skill, and not a clutch post season player. All in all ATL would lose to much in the process for Orlando to accept this trade and wouldn’t. be a deep playoff threat.
SaintSparky
December 1st, 2011
6:40 am
How about JJ and JS for Howard, and the trade away Kirk, Marvin and a first round pick for Chris Paul ? Why not dream a little…
SaintSparky
December 1st, 2011
6:43 am
Just checked the trade machine, and it would work like this:
Joe Johnson and Josh Smith from Hawks to Magic for Dwight Howard and Jason Richardson, then Kirk Hinrich and Marvin Williams and a first round pick to NO for Chris Paul. Works salary-wise, and what a team the Hawks would have !!!
count_schemula
December 1st, 2011
6:52 am
Break up the whole team, keep Horford. Get Chris Paul.
Blahblahblah
December 1st, 2011
7:05 am
Pipe dream.
SaintSparky
December 1st, 2011
7:22 am
Or try and trade for Monta Ellis, a prolific scorer, but then you really would need to get JJ out of town, the two couldn’t fit in my opinion. I agree with alot of you that say the Hawks are not going to make it past the Bulls or Heat, so I say blow up the team and bring in players that can ! See m proposals before, I could see a starting lineup looking like this:
PG Paul
SG JRich or Ellis
SF Wilkins
PF Horford
C Howard
Mid Town Joe
December 1st, 2011
8:11 am
3 months until pre-season baseball.
Edward
December 1st, 2011
8:41 am
It will never happen. I wish it would but you are talking about the Atlanta Hawks.
MikeyBoy
December 1st, 2011
8:50 am
If he would want to come to the hawks it d be for
1. His Family
2. Hes friends with Josh Smith they played ball together growing up in the Atlanta area. Image the shot blocks or many I mean.
3. Its HotLAnTA baby. Stars flock to this city.
MikeyBoy
December 1st, 2011
8:51 am
And its interesting ESPN reporting that Paul also might have interest in the Atlanta Hawks. Maybe he knows something we dont about Howard?!? Who knows?!?!
Nique
December 1st, 2011
9:18 am
Hawks should sigh Tyson Chandler who’s not planning to resign with Dallas & with him & AL up front, totally change the Defensive feel of our team!
Avoid Philips At All Costs
December 1st, 2011
9:28 am
Until ATLANTA @)($&#($&* GROUP is gone, do not give a DIME to these clowns! I’m NOT saying to not be a Hawks fan… watch from home, a bar… but do not give ASG the pleasure of your hard earned money. Stay home. Do NOT go to Philips Arena. After what they have done to this city with the Thrashers and the botch of the sale of the Hawks, ASG has NO place in this city OR state! Next thing we know they’ll have sold the Hawks and they’ll be gone too. THEY CAN NOT BE TRUSTED. Go BACK to Philips WHEN, and ONLY WHEN, ASG is 100% gone from this city and has NOTHING to do with Atlanta, Philips Arena or the Hawks.
J
December 1st, 2011
9:30 am
everybody is STILL commenting on something that is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN … reword that, NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. I can say that Josh Smith should be gone either this or next season. He’s run his course here and will not listen to a thing a coach says.
J
December 1st, 2011
9:33 am
Avoid Philips – really? i should avoid my Hawks b/c you lost your Thrashers? haha, lame! The sale of the team didnt go through b/c it turns out Mr. Alex wasn’t as liquid as he said he was. That was reported by numerous sources. It had nothing to do with the ASG. Go cry somewhere else. At least the Hawks are relevant.
Avoid Philips At All Costs
December 1st, 2011
9:36 am
J, you are a silly litle human. Do you realize the scum of the earth the ASG is? Are you blinded? I’m not saying to not be a Hawks fan. I’m saying ASG does not deserve to be trusted or supported after they “SOLD” the Hawks and botched it. How can they be trusted? Your ignorance is astounding. They are, by far, the single WORST ownership group in the country. The Hawks are not as relevant as you might think because they have NEVER made it to that next level. Better, yes, but let’s be real, still the HAWKS we are talking about. If you trust, ASG that is your choice. But a very ignorant one to trust anyone with ASG. DEAL WITH IT as they said.
chris
December 1st, 2011
9:42 am
I sure wish Joe would get some more love on the blogs. Everyone knows he was overpaid, but that does not take away everything he has done, and can do on the basketball court. He can create his own shot, shots for others, he can score, pass, defend, and rebound. He is big and athletic, in a smooth sort of way, not jumping out of the gym. He can take us to the finals, just not by himself. Management had a belief in a Detroit system of 5 good players, not two or three great players. The Hawks would be no better if they traded Joe for Dwight. Keep Joe, trade a package starting with Horford, plus 3 first round picks spread out over six years. Teague, Johnson, Prince (FA signing), Smith, Howard – That would be a great defensive, rebounding team, with the ability to score. Championship!!!
boom
December 1st, 2011
10:16 am
This is like beating a dead horse. I see this article every year near the start of basketball season. Guess what….every year it fails to happen.
chris
December 1st, 2011
10:24 am
You just wasted alot of ink on something the Hawks will never do. Besides, WHO CARES ABOUT THE NBA!! By the time games start we’ll be ready for the NFL Playoffs, the Bowl Games will be set to carry us into February. Then we have March Madness around the corner which I’d much rather watch than the NBA anyway. Then the Boys of Summer start Spring training. I personally wish they had stayed on strike and just not bothered to play
Pistol Pete
December 1st, 2011
10:38 am
They can have anyone on the roster as long as they take Marvin with them!
JJ_IS_TERRIBLE
December 1st, 2011
10:41 am
Yes please. Joe Johnson is probably gonna average about 15 a game and josh smith hassnt gotten the message that he cant make 3s. If you trade them 2 you have teague, horford, and dwight howard. You will have the money to go get a scorer. Teague show he can score and start at pg and horford wpud be a real good pf. This trade would be great as long as you get JJ and Smoove out of town. They hurt the team more than help.
JJ_IS_TERRIBLE
December 1st, 2011
10:49 am
NBA trade machine confirmed: JJ and Smoove for Howard and JJ Reddick and Hinrich and Teague for Rondo. Hell of a team
Sol
December 1st, 2011
11:17 am
Jeff, Great job for bringing up about Dwight, i was waiting for some body to bring it up, why not , this is once a life time oppurtunty why not try. We should do any thing to make it happen. He is a home town hero. He might want to come home
Ken Strickland
December 1st, 2011
11:20 am
With all due respect to you TRADE FANATICS, I think it would be downright stupid for the Hawks to potentially wreak it’s franchise by giving up 2 Allstars, or an Allstar and a potential Allstar, just to rent DHoward for 66gms. If Orlando can’t persuade him not to opt out of his contract, or resign, what makes anyone think we can persuade him not to do the same?
It would be different if he had indicated at anytime that Atlanta was one of his top preferences. Suppose we were foolish enough to trade for him and he decides not to stay, what would we be left with then? The only way I would ever consider, for 1 second, trading for DHoward is if he accepted a sign and trade. That way, we’d know he’s wiling to stay here long term, because we’d have him signed to a long term contract.
Otherwise, QUIT ALL OF THIS DOGGONE DELUSIONAL BS, AND WISHFUL THINKING, AND START DEALING WITH REALITY, IF YOU CAN.
ryan
December 1st, 2011
11:28 am
People say it wont happen but the chatter is getting bigger and bigger for Howard never say never .
wesley
December 1st, 2011
11:57 am
I think anyone with a nickname as lame as J-Smoove should be a top trade priority regardless of skill or talent….not to mention the horrible lack of effort and poor attitude. How can anyone cheer for a guy like that? Very difficult to pull for or even watch these guys. The NBA has a terrible image and the Hawks are near the top of that list. It would be nice to see “Superstars” such as Kobe and LeBron act like MEN and not complain like children EVERY time they drive to the hoop!!
J.J.M.
December 1st, 2011
12:05 pm
im pretty sure howard wants to play next to josh if he was traded here with that being said hawks would have to trade horford and someone else maybe joe but his contract is crazy…so this trade will never happen
J.J.M.
December 1st, 2011
12:11 pm
http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2011/12/1/2602721/nba-trade-josh-smith-atlanta-hawks
Stuart
December 1st, 2011
12:30 pm
I like a trade of Jeff Teague and two draft picks for Howard but the problem is no point guard.
Mr Mojo
December 1st, 2011
12:34 pm
Thay Yahoo article is the worst article i ever seen. Declining and out of shape? He is 25 years old. I guess that clown didn’t watch the series against the Bulls where Josh and Teague were the onyl players that showed any heart.
carefree002
December 1st, 2011
12:39 pm
Absolutely! they need to make this happen any way they can!
Inglewood, Calif
December 1st, 2011
1:31 pm
Howard to the LAKERS…..
Gate way to the West
December 1st, 2011
2:06 pm
This would be a kick in the ATL’s face, Hawks move (back) to St. Louis.
Kyle
December 1st, 2011
2:32 pm
Wouldn’t this work?
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7bl2eh8
Tremaine
December 1st, 2011
3:13 pm
I don’t think I will be able to get over 2005 until Chris Paul retire.
Ken Strickland
December 1st, 2011
6:02 pm
JEFF SHULTZ-Please answer the following question for me.
1-Exactly how many NBA titles has Orlando won with DHoward?
2-What makes you think DHoward would stay in Atlanta after we’ve depleting our roster to acquire him, when his reason for wanting out of Orlando is a lack of the talent he thinks is needed to win a title?
3-If Orlando chooses AHorford, which is a certainty, and either JJ or Josh, and then Dwight exits after 66gms, what shape would our franchise be in then, especially with us not having a 1st rd draft pick.
I understand you’re trying to gain readership, but there are better ways to get it done than stirring up all of these DELUSIONAL TRADE FANATICS with trades suggestions that will never happen. The best and only moves the Hawks can or need to make involves our bench. Our starting lineup will be just fine, regardless of how it’s constructed.
Last yr, we got a whole lot further than anyone ever expected, and that was without Hinrich, with Teague having very little experience, and with JJ and Horford playing at less than 100%. I see this yrs Hawk team being a whole lot better than last yrs, and here’s why:
1-Will have KHinrich at the start of the season, and he’ll be healthy and fully indoctrinated into our OFF/DEF systems,
2-We’ll start the season with the same confident JTeague who was our MVP during our playoff run,
3-All of our returning players will have had a full yr under LDrew and his OFF and DEF systems.
4-We’ll be able to improve our bench by replacing the dead weight we had on last yrs bench, like EThomas and JPowell.
The big question that needs to be answered is,
1-Will Teague be given the WOODY TREATMENT again, or will he be given an honest chance to win the starting PG position?
2-Will JJ replace MWilliams at SF, which will give us a backcourt of Hinrich and Teague, or will he remain at SG?
Personally, I’d love to see us move JJ to SF, and start both Teague and Hinrich at guard. That lineup would be solid as a rock defensively, but might require us to acquire another quality backup PG to go with DWilkins, assuming he’s resigned. The other PG option would be for us to show confidence in Pape Sy’s ability to get the job done.
With his size, quickness, penetrating ability, and solid DEF, I’d give him every chance to succeed or fail before I waste a spot of another PG. I would especially consider it with Hinrich and JJ’s ability to function at the position. A 4 guard rotation of Hinrich, Teague, Wilkins and Sy would give us solid DEF, depth, and a great combination of speed, size, quickness, and experience.
Sambo 4 Rambo
December 1st, 2011
6:12 pm
HA! HA! HA! HA! This column made me laugh. Not really. No one thats worth a crap would come to ATL to play basketball…unless your an average player that gets paid 68 billion dollars a year…joe johnson (caugh)
Z-Ro
December 1st, 2011
6:59 pm
Enter your comments here
Z-Ro
December 1st, 2011
7:02 pm
it would be the funny ish ever to trade Marvin and Teague and a 1st for chris paul when we couldve had him back in 05!!! Marvin runs the court like he needs a pedicure and a chiropractor NOBODY wants that trash….OAN; Has anyone ever seen someone in atlanta with a joe Johnson jersey??
EmirS.
December 1st, 2011
8:14 pm
Yea Ken is right,
What happens if he decides not to sign long-term with us?
I also don’t believe we can give up “any” two players to get him. Combination of Josh and Al would have to go. Joe is our deep threat. Having a frontline of Howard and Josh/Al would make us one dimensional. Every team would make protecting the paint as part of their main gameplan. And even if you sign someone, they would have to be able to handle the ball, make the 3, make the inside 2, create their own shot, and play defense.
With a Joe/Howard combo you get the best of both worlds. Howard can kick out and Joe can laser it into the paint. You spread the floor and you allow someone like Teague to cut for an easy basket.
ryan
December 1st, 2011
8:16 pm
Paul to the Knicks does not look like will happen because they have no one they can trade so is still a window .
2011 NBA free agency buzz: Trail Blazers reportedly reach out to Jamal Crawford, Nene (links) | Portland OR DIRECTV Service
December 1st, 2011
9:30 pm
[...] Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal Constitution: Hawks should trade any two players for Dwight [...]
Just saying..
December 1st, 2011
9:52 pm
And Marv Albert says “YEEEESS!
STRONG HAWK
December 2nd, 2011
9:28 am
ANYBODY BUT AL. AL IS THE LEADER OF TEAM AND THE BACKBONE, MAYBE MORE OF A LEADER THAN D HOWARD. SO NO AI STAYS !!!!!!!!!!!!
Joe.Jeff.Smith.Leuer.Bogut
December 3rd, 2011
10:34 am
Horford for Bogut and shooter USA Select Team’s Jon Leuer for perimeter. bench Marvin for Leuer. Keep the slimmer Smith inside.
Bogut and Smith defend the Lebrons and Dwights. Hand the reigns to Teague and Johnson to distribute.
nique
December 3rd, 2011
1:29 pm
He gets booed all the time here, don’t think he’d want to come.
Theresa
December 3rd, 2011
3:46 pm
Hawks need to trade Joe Johnson and Josh Smith if they are going to make a trade. Joe contract is outrageous never should have been paid that much and Josh thinks he’s a shooting guard wanting to shoot three’s when you are a bad free throw shooter. Get Dwight and resign Jamal.
Theresa
December 3rd, 2011
3:49 pm
Oh I forgot Marvin Williams just give him away in the trade he is not worth 2 cents.
dwight gone
December 4th, 2011
10:00 am
dwight’s heading to LA–book it. 24/7 club scene, movie/music deals, superstars at courtside everynight, beach mansions, wild hollywood chicks everywhere looking for money, millions in endorsement cash……