The Golden State Warriors will not be signing veteran big Dwight Howard. Howard, who spent last season playing in Taiwan, spent two days with the Warriors this week. However, Golden State opted not to sign the eight-time All-Star and former first-overall pick. “The Warriors are not expected to sign Dwight Howard or another veteran center ahead of training camp. Howard had a two-day visit with the Warriors this week that included meetings and workouts, but the Warriors are expected now to maintain flexibility to sign a potential big man later in camp or into the regular season," reported Shams Charania.
Howard is expected to meet with other interested teams next week. Despite this, it appears to be growing increasingly unlikely that Howard will be back in the league this season. Howard's last NBA action was as part of the Lakers back in 2021. He turns 38 in December. He averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game across 60 games in his last NBA season.
Howard Eyes The Olympics
Despite his NBA uncertainty, Howard is eager to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics next year. As the US looks to build a superteam, Howard made it clear that he wanted to be a part of it. Furthermore, he went as far as to say that if he wasn't selected, he would declare for Taiwan and "drop 85" at the tournament. In the late 2000s, Howard was a go-to pick for the national team. He won Olympic gold medal at Beijing 2008 and World Cup bronze at s well as a World Cup bronze at Japan 2006.
There are just two problems with Howard's plan. The first is that Taiwanese citizenship requires five years of residency, which Howard doesn't have. The second is that, eligible or not, Howard would still be watching the Olympics from his home as Taiwan is not able to qualify for the Olympic tournament. Only three teams from Asia and Oceania - New Zealand, Lebanon, and the Philippines - will participate in qualifiers next year for the four remaining Olympic spots.
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