Sports
NBA Rumors: Dwight Howard, Warriors Not Expected to Agree to Contract Before Camp – Bleacher Report
The Golden State Warriors appear to be moving on from their Dwight Howard pursuit after doing their due diligence on the veteran.
Golden State and Howard are not expected to agree to a contract ahead of training camp, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. The Warriors have made it a priority to add an extra wing entering training camp, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater added.
Jason Dumas of KRON4 News reported earlier this week that Howard completed a two-day interview process with the Warriors and was set to work out with Draymond Green and Chris Paul in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Dumas added that Golden State’s veteran players had “signed off on the idea of bringing Dwight into the fold.” Green seemingly confirmed the report on X, formerly known as Twitter:
One day, one day, everything won't leak. One day. Good for you btw Jason. But one day, EVERYTHING won't leak. I have a dream <a href="https://t.co/X3HJmGei0T">https://t.co/X3HJmGei0T</a>
Charania and Slater reported last week that Howard was expected to visit with the Warriors as the team had been exploring signing a veteran big man. However, ESPN’s Kendra Andrews reported on NBA Today on Monday that Golden State considered Howard “just another workout” with no guarantee he would be signed.
“While this has brought up a lot of conversation externally I’m told that the Warriors are looking at this just as another workout, just another guy they are bringing in to get a look at,” Andrews said. “They want to bring in a veteran. They want to bring in a big man. By bringing him into San Francisco this week, that doesn’t mean he is a member of the team. This is just another part of the process as they look to fill out the remaining roster spots.”
Howard is far from his peak, when he won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, though he could still be a valuable member as a reserve for many contending teams. The 37-year-old spent the 2022-23 season playing in Taiwan for the Taoyuan Leopards, averaging 23.2 points in 20 games.
During his latest season in the NBA in 2021-22, he averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 60 games while shooting 61.2 percent from the floor in a depth role for the Los Angeles Lakers.
With the Warriors moving away from their pursuit of a veteran center, it’s unclear who they may be targeting moving forward.
