The Warriors’ need for roster size has led to them acquiring two intriguing players.
Free agent center Dwight Howard will meet with the Warriors in San Francisco next week, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Friday, citing sources.
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Eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard will face the Golden State Warriors next week, sources report @TheAthletic @Stadion. The team has been thinking about signing a big veteran reserve, and now the Lakers’ 2020 championship center will soon be visiting with Warriors officials.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 15, 2023
The eight-time NBA All-Star last played in the league in the 2021-22 season, playing 60 games for the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per contest.
The former No. 1 overall pick spent time with seven different teams during his 18-year NBA career and was part of the Lakers’ 2019-20 championship team.
Howard, 37, played in Taiwan for the Taoyuan Leopards last season and is clearly looking for another opportunity in the NBA. According to Asia Basket, he averaged 23.2 points and 16.2 rebounds in 34.9 minutes in 20 games.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole and Dalton Johnson discussed the idea of Howard joining the Warriors in free agency in June, believing he could be a good depth player.
Howard has not hidden his desire to join the Warriors in recent years, stating in 2022 that he could have mentored former No. 2 draft pick James Wiseman, who Golden State eventually traded to the Detroit Pistons last season transferred.
While the Warriors wait to meet with Howard, they agreed to a two-way contract with free-agent center Usman Garuba, Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported, citing sources.
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Free agent center usman garuba has agreed to a two-way nba contract with the golden state warriors, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater. The Rockets’ former first-round pick is averaging 8.2 points and 4 rebounds for Spain at the FIBA World Cup.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 15, 2023
Garuba, a 2021 first-round draft pick by the Houston Rockets, averaged 2.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 99 total games over the past two seasons. However, he was traded twice in July before being released by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Garuba, 21, joins Lester Quinones as players the Warriors signed to two-way contracts. NBA teams are now allowed to have three two-way players.
The Warriors currently have 13 players on guaranteed NBA contracts, so they have room to add Howard if next week’s meeting goes well.
But Garuba is offering insurance in case Howard and the Warriors can’t agree on the terms of the contract.
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