Hawks trade Howard to Hornets

The Atlanta Hawks traded center Dwight Howard and the 31st pick in Thursday’s draft to the Charlotte Hornets for forward Miles Plumlee, swingman Marco Belinelli and the 41st pick, according to multiple reports.

The 31-year-old Howard, who signed a three-year, $70.5 million deal with Atlanta last July, averaged 13.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 74 games during the 2016-17 season. Charlotte will be Howard’s fifth team after spending his first 13 seasons with Orlando (eight), the Los Angeles Lakers (one), Houston (three) and Atlanta (one).

Plumlee, who signed a four-year, $52 million contract last season, averaged 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds across 10.8 minutes in 2016-17. He began last season with the Milwaukee Bucks before being dealt to Charlotte before the trade deadline.

Belinelli averaged 10.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes last season. He comes with a $6.6-million cap hit as his three-year, $19 million contract expires after the 2017-18 season.