The Charlotte Hornets have traded a pair of reserve big men, Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes, to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks will send backup center Miles Plumlee back to Charlotte. Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN broke the story on Thursday afternoon:
Story with @WindhorstESPN: Milwaukee has reached an agreement in principle to trade Miles Plumlee to Charlotte for Roy Hibbert/Spencer Hawes
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 2, 2017
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo’s The Vertical later reported that the Bucks will release forward Steve Novak to clear a roster spot for the additional player, since they are trading one for two:
Milwaukee will release Steve Novak to clear roster spot to absorb Hawes and Hibbert in Plumlee trade, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 2, 2017
Charlotte Hornets Trade Hibbert, Hawes to Milwaukee Bucks
Hawes has appeared in 35 games for the Hornets this season, averaging 7.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He’s started just one contest. Hibbert, meanwhile, has averaged a career-low 5.2 points, along with just 3.6 boards per game. Hibbert has started at center in 13 of his 42 games for Charlotte.
Plumlee, 28, has played in 32 games and started 12 for the Bucks. He’s averaging just 2.6 PPG and 1.7 RPG this season, playing less than 10 minutes per contest. Charlotte will become his fourth NBA team in five seasons, having played for Indiana and Phoenix before coming to the Bucks. Plumlee is in the first year of a four-year, $52 million contract that he signed with Milwaukee last off-season.
Hawes, 28, has a player option at the end of this season. If he chooses to exercise it, he’ll remain under contract for about $6 million until the 2018 off-season.The 30-year-old Hibbert signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Hornets last summer, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this July.
The 30-year-old Hibbert signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Hornets last summer, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in July. Hibbert, a two-time All-Star, has fallen off significantly since his time with the Indiana Pacers. After a disappointing end to the 2014-15 season, Hibbert signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, struggling there before signing with Charlotte. He’ll attempt to bounce back with Milwaukee, his fourth NBA franchise.
Perhaps the veteran big men will welcome the change of scenery, as all three have struggled this season.
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