Charlotte Took Miles Plumlee and Cash for Two Veteran Big Men
On February 2, 2017, Charlotte acquired reserve center Miles Plumlee and cash considerations from Milwaukee for veteran centers Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes. Plumlee had signed a substantial long-term contract with the Bucks the preceding summer but had not secured the playing role envisioned. Charlotte was seeking a younger, more mobile reserve to complement its existing frontline, while Milwaukee wanted to reduce its future salary obligations. The three-player deal was a contract and roster restructuring transaction, not a move for a first-round draft selection. Both franchise transaction records show the asset direction, including two outgoing Charlotte centers. Any later player drafted by either team must not be assigned to this deal without another separate trade.
Plumlee Delivered a Brief Charlotte Trial Rather Than a New Core Center
Plumlee appeared in just 13 Hornets games over the remainder of 2016-17, starting none and averaging approximately 2.4 points and 3.2 rebounds. Those totals represented emergency frontcourt depth rather than the reliable backup center contribution Charlotte had hoped to buy. The Hornets moved him again that summer as part of a much bigger trade with Atlanta to acquire Dwight Howard, so this February agreement is one link in a larger contract path. Plumlee did not become a regular long-term Charlotte starter. The inherited D grade reflects how little basketball return the franchise initially received while accepting significant future salary commitments. His earlier seasons with Phoenix and Milwaukee do not count as Bobcats or Hornets performance.
Milwaukee Found Roster Flexibility Without Retaining Both Arrivals
Hibbert and Hawes carried experience as NBA starting centers but were past their most productive seasons. Hibbert did not establish a significant Milwaukee playing tenure before being traded again to Denver, while Hawes was used in a small reserve role. The most valuable return for Milwaukee was the ability to move the contract owed to Plumlee and regain options for future roster construction around Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks A- inherited grade is partly an assessment of that contract management, not a claim that Hibbert and Hawes scored like elite big men after the deal. Charlotte received a center who quickly left, while Milwaukee reduced its longer-term salary risk. That mismatch in financial commitments explains the pronounced difference between the inherited team grades.
Final Verdict
Bucks Win. Milwaukee earns A- after moving the Miles Plumlee contract and receiving Roy Hibbert and Spencer Hawes. Charlotte gets D for Plumlee and cash; he played only 13 Hornets games before being traded again. The larger value to the Bucks was salary flexibility, not an All-Star acquired in the swap.