Marco Belinelli

atljwilson

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has acquired guard Marco Belinelli, center Miles Plumlee and the 41st overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for center Dwight Howard and the 31st overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, it was announced tonight by General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk.

“It is extremely important for our organization that we maintain our flexibility and this trade helps us achieve that critical goal,” Schlenk said. “We appreciate the contributions that Dwight made on the court and in the greater Atlanta community this past season.”

In his 10th season in the NBA, Belinelli averaged 10.5 points on .429 shooting from the field while hitting .360 from three-point range and .893 from the free throw line, the ninth-best percentage in the league this season. He also averaged 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.0 minutes per game in 74 games played this season. His 10.5 point per game average marked the fifth time in his career that he topped double figures in scoring average.

The 6-foot-5 Italian shooting guard has career averages of 9.6 points on .425 shooting, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 644 games (216 starts). He has shot .377 from three-point range over that period. In 2014, he contributed to the San Antonio Spurs winning the NBA Championship, becoming the first Italian player to achieve that feat. He has also spent time with Golden State, Toronto, New Orleans, Chicago and Sacramento.

Plumlee, 28, has played in 273 games (133 starts) in his five-year career with Indiana, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Charlotte and posted averages of 5.1 points on .530 shooting and 4.7 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game. He appeared in 45 contests during the 2016-17 season, playing 32 games with the Bucks before joining the Hornets via trade and appearing in 13 games with Charlotte.

During the 2016-17 season, Howard posted averages of 13.5 points on a career-best .633 shooting and 12.7 rebounds in 74 games (all starts) in 29.7 minutes per game. His 12.7 rebounds per game ranked fifth in the NBA and his 53 double-doubles placed him sixth in the league. The 13-year veteran has career averages of 17.5 points on .585 shooting and 12.7 rebounds in 954 games (953 starts).

Marco Belinelli

Hawks Acquire Plumlee, Belinelli In Dwight Howard Trade