Former NBA Director Links Warriors to Free Agent Dwight Howard

The Warriors have largely completed their offseason, with a huge number of moves putting them ready to compete for an NBA championship again this season. They suggested Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins, added guard Donte DiVincenzo and attacker JaMychal Green, while losing Otto Porter Jr., Gary Payton II and Nemanja Bjelica. They now have 13 players under contract.

They could fill another gap, and ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks, who was an assistant GM with the Brooklyn Nets, has a clue about how to fill it: future Hall-of-Fame center Dwight Howard, who is an eight-time All- Star and two-time block-shot champion.

Marks said other contenders might have an eye for Howard, but he would make sense for the Warriors under certain circumstances.

“On paper, the answer is Brooklyn, but chances are we’ll see Ben Simmons play in the middle for most of the minutes,” Marks wrote of Howard’s future. “The Nets also have Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe in a backup role. Golden State can use Howard, but only if James Wiseman suffers a setback and Andre Iguodala retires. The Clippers need size, but due to tax implications they are unlikely to have 15 guaranteed contracts to start the season.”

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Howard passes if Wiseman is not ready

Howard is now 36, a long way from his days as one of the NBA’s most dominant players. He remains a free agent this summer after playing with the Lakers last year, his third stint with that team, where he averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16.2 minutes.

That’s about all the Warriors need from a backup center with their playstyle. Last season, Golden State starter Kevon Looney used 21.1 minutes per game in the position, reserve Nemanja Bjelica played 16.1 minutes and filled the rest with Draymond Green and Porter as small-ball centers.

Porter is gone this year, but JaMychal Green thinks he will take his small ball minutes in the middle. Howard could be an option to fill in the gaps.

Of course, the ideal situation is to have Wiseman come back from the frustrating knee injury that constantly forced him to make a comeback last year, but was never quite able to get back on the field for Golden State. That’s another side note from Marks: If Wiseman plays well, Howard wouldn’t be needed.

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Warriors rejected all Wiseman questions

Wiseman was the #2 pick in the 2020 NBA draft and the Warriors still have a lot of investment in his development. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds as a rookie, playing 21.4 minutes for an injured Warriors team before sustaining his knee injury.

He has repeatedly been the subject of trade investigations in recent years, but as Heavy Sports NBA insider Steve Bulpett said, the Warriors have no plans to move him. If he is healthy, he will be their man.

“They’re confident he’s okay, and I wouldn’t let anyone within five miles of him, you know?” Bulpett said in a video interview. “If someone calls and says they’re interested in Yes, I hang up. Don’t even get the whole name out. This man can be a beast. Big body, good movement, good touch, all those things. He has the chance to become a big, big player. They went through their bad times to get a man like this that they never would have got. If you look at Golden State and say, okay, what hole do they have in their lineup there? Well, they don’t have the dominant type with big boys. This man can be.

“Will he get well? If so, yes, then you put your arms around him, call him every night and tell him you love him and that you will never let him go.”