Dwight Howard's Sister, Tashanda, Rips Hawks, Atlanta After Trade to Hornets

Dwight Howard's sister, Tashanda, had some harsh words for the Atlanta Hawks a day after they dealt her brother to the Charlotte Hornets.      

Appearing on 92.9 The Game in Atlanta on Wednesday, Tashanda said she wasn't thrilled with the way the Hawks treated Dwight after he signed a three-year, $70.5 million deal last July. 

"I hear how people talk and the things they say, and I just don't think that Atlanta is a loyal city. I really don't," she said, via the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell. 

"I hate to hear all the negative calls talking about my brother and the things that have been going on with the Hawks."

Tashanda also suggested that trading a player of Dwight's stature after he decided to return home may not be a great look for the franchise moving forward. 

"He was one of the first big free agents to come here, and I think a lot of the free agents are going to look at that and see how they do their free agency, and they are not going to want to come to this city," she said. 

Furthermore, Tashanda told 92.9 The Game her brother "wasn't a problem with the Hawks" last season. 

While the trade could certainly be viewed as an indictment of Howard's play, it seems clear at this point the Hawks didn't dump him because of poor performance. 

Rather, Howard—who was one of five players to average at least 13 points, 12 boards and a block per game during the 2016-17 season—was traded to the Hornets along with the 31st pick in Thursday's NBA draft in a salary dump that will afford the Hawks more financial flexibility entering free agency. 

If Dwight doesn't see it that way, though, he could parlay the Hawks' decision to jettison him into a resurgent campaign as he eyes success in the middle of head coach Steve Clifford's attack in the years ahead.