Soaring Down South
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Would the Atlanta Hawks bring back Dwight Howard?

By Joshua Buckhalter

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 08: Dwight Howard #39 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks during Game Two of the Eastern Conference second round series at Wells Fargo Center on June 08, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 08: Dwight Howard #39 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks during Game Two of the Eastern Conference second round series at Wells Fargo Center on June 08, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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How forgiving are the Atlanta Hawks and their fans? Would they hold a grudge against a player from their past even if that player could be a big contributor to their future success? Fans are a little easier to convince. Once the team is on board, they generally are too. Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule.

Where does Dwight Howard fall in the grand scheme? The Atlanta native is entering his 18thseason after going first overall to the Orlando Magic back in 2004.

He found his way to his hometown for the 2016-17 season, but that didn’t quite end well as Howard’s reputation for being a less-than-stellar teammate followed him. When General Manager Travis Schlenk took over, one of his first moves was to trade Howard to Washington.

Howard was just one year into a three-year pact.

The Atlanta Hawks might want to overlook Dwight Howard’s previous stint to add a quality rebounder and defender to their bench

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At the time, Schlenk cited wanting to maintain financial flexibility in their rebuild. But it was reported that Hawks players screamed in jubilation when the trade went down.

So why would they have any interest in a reunion? Because not only is it an entirely new locker room, but it would be on a shorter deal and in a more limited role.

Also because the role that Howard would fill proved to be key in their series against the world champion Milwaukee Bucks and in the NBA Finals: rebounding.

While Atlanta rostered the regular season’s rebounding champ in Clint Capela, he and the other starters were out-rebounded against both Philadelphia and Milwaukee, though only the latter was able to make them pay.

No one is suggesting making Howard a starter over Capela, but perhaps having a more capable backup would allow the Hawks to give him more frequent breathers.

Even while playing his fewest minutes as a pro in his first bench role, Howard averaged 7.0 points and 8.4 boards per game. He was third behind only Capela and Andre Drummond in total rebound percentage among players to average at least 10 minutes.

He was second during the postseason.

In addition to accepting his reduced role a few seasons ago in Washington, Howard is fresh off of winning a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. And he dealt with being traded multiple times in between those stops rather admirably, not something we could always say about him.

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With all of the directions Atlanta can go between the NBA Draft on July 29 and free agency which starts on Aug 2, Howard could serve simply as a backup to Capela or as a mentor to a young big should the Hawks go that way on draft night. Either way, he would provide tremendous value. So again, the question is just how forgiving are the Hawks and their fans?