National Basketball Association

Charlotte Hornets: Is Spencer Hawes the Odd Man Out?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

With the logjam that is the Charlotte Hornets’ front court, could Spencer Hawes be the odd man out in the rotation this season?

The Charlotte Hornets have a number of big man on their roster heading into the 2016-17 season and Spencer Hawes could be the odd man out. There aren’t enough minutes to go around with all of the talented power forwards and centers and Steve Clifford will likely have to sacrifice a few players to make it work. The logjam could create problems this year but it is likely that Spencer Hawes will be bench or traded.

Marvin Williams has already locked up the starting power forward spot while the starting center role seems to be Roy Hibbert‘s to lose. That leaves the back-up big man positions open for second-year player, Frank Kaminsky, returning starter, Cody Zeller, newly acquired Christian Wood, and Hawes. Spencer has the least upside of any big man on the roster.

After only averaging 6.0 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game, and 1.9 assists per game in 57 games last season, Hawes has been the subject of trade rumors this summer. The Hornets were reportedly trying to package Spencer with Jeremy Lamb in attempt to acquire Greg Monroe. They were also looking to clear cap space by moving the 28-year old’s contract.

More from Swarm and Sting

Stiff Competition

Spencer Hawes will be up against the likes of Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky, and Christian Wood this year for playing time. All four will be vying for minutes in Steve Clifford’s rotation this season.

Cody Zeller is coming off of a season where he was the starter after Al Jefferson went down with multiple injuries. He started in 60 games but he is still struggling to recover from a bone bruise he suffered last year. While he may have lost his starting spot to Roy Hibbert, Zeller is likely the back-up center heading into the regular season.

Frank Kaminsky is coming off of an impressive rookie season and Steve Clifford will use him as the back-up power forward this year. The organization has plenty of faith in last year’s first round pick and he isn’t losing playing time to Hawes anytime soon. Kaminsky has been developing his game and his steady growth is a positive sign going forward.

Christian Wood is a newly acquired big man who has plenty of athleticism and upside. At only 21-years old, coach Clifford could give him plenty of playing time as the emergency big man behind Williams, Hibbert, Zeller, and Kaminsky. Although, Wood may spend the 2016 campaign in the D-League with the Greensboro Swarm which would leave Hawes on the roster.

Want your voice heard? Join the Swarm and Sting team!

Emergency Big Man Role or Impending Trade

The likely outcome for Hawes this season will either be no playing time with Charlotte or being traded to another team. The former will leave what’s remaining of Spencer’s contract on the books for the Hornets for potentially two years as his deal has a player option for the 2017-18 season. The latter would be a win-win for the team and for the player.

The Hornets would unload Spencer’s contract to open up cap space and potentially get a nice return by trading him. Hawes would also get playing time which is likely what he is seeking at this point in his career.

Even though Spencer Hawes is the odd man out in the Charlotte Hornets’ rotation, an injury could always occur that would make him an important role player for them. The team dealt with a fair share of injuries last year and it is always good to have a safety net like Hawes waiting in the wings. He has experience as an emergency big man so holding onto him would be the worst idea.

This article originally appeared on