The Warriors rule out signing Howard... and have faith in Garuba
After a week of reflection, Golden State decided not to sign Howard, but they are looking for a new center and see potential in Usman Garuba.
Superman will not fly in the NBA again - at least not for the time being. That is what the Warriors have decided, and despite having the public approval of Draymond Green, they have not signed Dwight Howard.
After a week of training and contacts between both parties, the center will have to wait to return to the best League in the world after a year in Taiwan, where he has pocketed a million dollars in what has been an absolute record contract for the Asian country. At 37 years old (he will turn 38 on 8 December), Howard is still looking for the opportunity to return to the North American competition, where he was a hero in the Magic, then fell into the hells of public opinion and redeemed himself with the 2020 ring, an extraordinary award for a player who has been very good and who can still provide seniority, experience and has plenty to offer in a certain role.
Experience in the roster
The Warriors, of course, are still looking for something else to strengthen their interior game and also complete their roster for the new campaign. In search, always, of one more ring for the last great dynasty that the NBA has seen - that of the four rings, the six finals, the 73 victories and a huge number of historical records that remain for posterity in the pages of basketball and that has had Stephen Curry as a watchword, Steve Kerr on the bench and players who have become stars: Klay Thompson, Draymond... Now much older, they are not giving up just yet and seek to assault the throne once again (the last ring was in 2022). Along the way they have signed Chris Paul, another veteran who is resisting the dream of the ring. And they still have Andrew Wiggins in the running. They have time to achieve new success before age takes its toll. And that’s what they’re thinking about.
The team’s interior game is completed by Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Dario Saric, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Usman Garuba who signed a two-way contract and who will alternate the NBA with the G League according to suits the franchise. The refusal to sign Dwight Howard has been advanced by (of course) Shams Charania (The Athletic).
While Anthony Slater, from the same media, has assured that the entity is very happy with Trayce Jackson-Davis, who has impressed since his arrival. Of course, all the information indicates that the Warriors want to sign at least one more player to complete the interior rotation, who also provides quality minutes on the court and rest so that Looney and Draymond reach the playoffs in the best conditions, the team’s key objective.
Slater has not left his information there and has also spoken about Garuba. The Spaniard left the Rockets this summer, was traded first to the Hawks and then to the Thunder, who then released him. Since then, he was a free agent, and has finally been claimed by the Warriors, who spend on him one of the three two-way contracts granted by the new collective agreement (previously there were two) and that will become effective during this season, which begins October 25.
Slater has leaked that the Warriors see “potential” in Garuba, in his youth and the depth he can give to the rotation. That’s good news for the Spaniard, who continues to look for his definitive place in the NBA and who will drink from the fountain of wisdom, given to him by the Dubs - hardened in a thousand battles and with a huge amount of successes behind them. A whole dynasty.