When the Atlanta Hawks traded Kyle Korver to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Mo Williams, many assumed that that move was the first of multiple more in an eventual roster blowup for Atlanta. Then, a confusing report surfaced that the Hawks had no intention of trading Paul Millsap. Before the Hawks decided that they weren’t going to trade their key players, they had spoken with the New Orleans Pelicans about a Dwight Howard trade, reports ESPN’s Zach Lowe:
But [the Pelicans] haven’t committed to staying small, and sticking Davis at center. They worry about the physical toll it would take, and fretted after Davis picked up two quick fouls jostling with Dwight Howard two weeks ago. In the days that followed, Atlanta and New Orleans had exploratory talks about possible Howard trades before the Hawks pulled everyone off the market, according to several league sources. It is unclear how interested New Orleans was, and there was not unanimous support within the team for acquiring Howard.
While Howard isn’t the player he once was, pairing him down low with Davis would form quite the fearsome defensive duo.