Getty Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard posted a cryptic tweet after The Athletic reported the Golden State Warriors are not signing him following his two-way workout and meeting with them.
“Only as a WARRIOR can one withstand the path of knowledge. A WARRIOR cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge. And challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges. Go be [Great] [emojis],” Howard said in his post on X (formerly Twitter).
Only as a WARRIOR can one withstand the path of knowledge. A WARRIOR cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge. And challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges. 💯 🫵🏾 go be GR8
The Warriors’ top priority is to add an extra wing, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. They have worked out several veteran wings before Howard’s tryout. Among them were former reserves Juan Toscano-Anderson and Kent Bazemore, former Denver Nugget Will Barton, Jaylen Nowell, Stanley Johnson, Tony Snell and Trey Burke.
Slater’s colleague at The Athletic, Shams Charania, said that the Warriors “are expected now to maintain flexibility to sign up potential big men later in camp or into the regular season.”
Golden State has two roster spots available, with the training camp set to begin next week.
Howard was spotted on Thursday training with Warriors forward Draymond Green and trade acquisition Chris Paul in Los Angeles following a two-day visit in the Bay Area, raising speculations he’s getting signed. But it turned out that Golden State’s front office has another plan in mind, going against the wishes of the Warriors veterans, who have signed off on the idea of bringing Howard on board, which Kron4 News’ Jason Dumas reported on Wednesday.
Pacers Take a Flier on Ex-Warriors Big Man
Former Warriors big man Jordan Bell signed a training camp deal with the Indiana Pacers, according to Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto.
Bell is expected to play for the Pacers’ G League affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
The 28-year-old journeyman spent his first two seasons in the NBA with the Warriors after they selected him in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. As a rookie, he won a championship with the Warriors, averaging 4.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 57 games, including 13 starts. He could not make a fitting follow-up to his promising rookie season and soon found himself bouncing around the league.
He was out of the NBA last season and played in China for Guangzhou Loong Lions.
Klay Thompson’s Extension Talks Underway
Negotiation for a contract extension between the Warriors and Klay Thompson is already underway, according to ESPN’s senior reporter Ramona Shelburne.
“My understanding is that they have opened contract extension talks with Klay Thompson,” Shelburne said on the September 15 episode of “The Lowe Post” podcast. “They’ve exchanged proposals. There’s been no hurry to these discussions.”
Thompson is entering the final season of his five-year, $190 million deal with the Warriors and stands to earn $43 million this season. The Warriors wanted to keep him, but they’re hoping Thompson gives them a discount after awarding him a max contract while recovering from back-to-back lower leg injuries in 2019.
“The money is going to be the question and how that fits with the new CBA, the new restrictions that implies,” Shelburne said. “I know that the Warriors feel very strongly about keeping Klay Thompson and Draymond Green alongside Steph Curry, and it’s the Warriors who feel that way, but that place they arrived at is in strong consultation with Mr. Curry.”