Dwight Howard spent last year playing basketball in Taiwan. When the news broke that Howard was meeting with the Golden State Warriors, things were looking like the 2020 NBA champion would return to the NBA.
The Warriors decided to pass on signing Howard, and this left some scratching their heads. Recently, the Warriors’ new general manager, Mike Dunleavy Jr., spoke about the Warriors offseason and Howard.
“I would just say in general, we brought maybe 40 or 50 guys in this summer to get a further look at, knowing agents and people around the league knowing we’ve got two roster spots open,” Dunleavy said. “… The player you mentioned [Howard] is just one of many that we brought in and evaluated, and you know, I think right now you’ll know more about who we’re inviting to camp in a couple of days.
“But overall, we feel good about what we’ve done this summer, and we’ll keep our options open in terms of who we need to add.”
The Warriors are keeping their options open, and one option they recently signed to a two-way contract is Usman Garuba from Spain. He’s a 21-year-old center, and his signing shows the Warriors are looking for youth instead of adding more veterans.
Garuba is known for his hard work, while Howard has had a history of locker room problems. This is something Howard has denied.
“The one thing that I really hated was just hearing people say that I was a cancer in the locker room or I’m not good to have around teammates,” Howard said. “It really affected me for a while.”
The Warriors have also already added a veteran to the mix in Chris Paul. They had to give up youth in Jordan Poole to get him. Still, Paul could be what Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and the rest of the Warriors need to get over that hump of winning another NBA championship.
There’s been some debate about whether Paul will start or run the second unit off the bench. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently gave a cryptid message that appears to tell us Paul just might come off the bench.
As for Dwight Howard, he’d be happy with a bench role in the NBA. This was his role on the 2019-20 championship-winning Los Angeles Lakers team. Howard started just two games during the regular season.
Dwight Howard’s T1 League Career
Dwight Howard found himself without a home in the NBA. This was after he last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2021-22 season.
Howard joined the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League, which is in Taiwan. There, Howard showcased his NBA skills, putting up 38 points, 25 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 blocks in his debut game.
Howard went on to be named the Most Valuable Import of the T1 League. In his first season, Howard averaged 23.2 points, 16.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game in 20 games.
As of now, unless an NBA team signs him, Howard will return to the T1 League. His team has changed its name to the TaiwanBeer Leopards, but this change isn’t what Howard wants.
Howard wants one more shot at playing in the NBA to finish his career. As of now, this isn’t looking likely.