The 2016-17 season was supposed to be a celebration of Dwight Howard's homecoming to Atlanta as the Hawks enjoyed success and found new life in the postseason. But that never quite came to fruition.
Atlanta was bounced in the first round by the Washington Wizards and Howard's minutes and points per game were the lowest since his rookie season with Orlando. His unhappiness showed in his exit interview this week, a similar attitude he has shown at previous destinations with the Lakers and Rockets, raises questions about his immediate future with the team.
"It's very difficult," Howard said this week about playing just 26 minutes per game against the Wizards. "I want to play. I want to be out on the floor. I want to make a difference, make an impact and can't do that on the bench."
His frustration after the loss was, in part, because of the team's early playoff exit. Duh. That much is understandable. No one likes losing. But his role on the team in the season and in the playoffs was clearly an object of ire for the veteran who admits he's not getting younger.
"It's my 13th season, so I'm pissed. I don't get younger. I'm not going to be 25, 26. So, yeah, I'm pissed. I'm upset, because we're not playing no more. I want to play. I don't want to watch someone else hold up the trophy."
Yikes. That's not exactly an encouraging exchange if you're Atlanta. He had a chance to squash the notion that he was unhappy with the team and coach Mike Budenholzer, and instead took the opportunity to make things a bit more awkward by letting on that he was pissed and didn't feel like his role was clearly defined.
The only problem with Howard's antics is that he's not exactly a hot commodity. Teams likely aren't going to be identifying him as a potential trade target. His production was down this season, after all, in a place like Atlanta that has as strong a culture as any in the league. Plus, he's a 31-year-old who signed a three-year deal with the Hawks last offseason worth more than $70 million. As ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz noted in a poll with front office executives, Atlanta could get little more than a second-rounder and cap relief to unload his contract, which runs through the 2019 season.
A poll of 8 NBA front office execs has yielded that -- best case -- the @ATLHawks could get a 2nd-rounder and cap relief for Dwight Howard.
— Kevin Arnovitz (@kevinarnovitz) May 2, 2017
Does Atlanta want to move Howard? Do the Hawks feel they could get something that would adequately compensate for his production? Or is this little more than an angry interview about losing?
If it's one thing we know about him it's that he has been a man on the move for much of the past half-decade. On one hand, Atlanta could move him and be off the hook for his contract. On the other, Atlanta would almost certainly be giving him away for pennies on the dollar based on his actual worth. But then again, what's it worth to have an unhappy player out of the locker room?
That's a question Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox will have to determine for himself in the offseason.
