The start of NBA training camp is around a week away, which means the Los Angeles Lakers will be back in action for the 2023-24 season soon enough.
The Lakers spent most of the offseason shoring up their roster by re-signing their key free agents and adding quality role players to help LeBron James and Anthony Davis throughout the regular season. On paper, Los Angeles has one of the deepest and most versatile teams in the league which should lead to another deep postseason run.
Meanwhile in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are looking to claw their way back to the NBA Finals after being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Lakers. The Warriors’ lack of size was apparent in their series and they didn’t do much in free agency to address it.
However, Golden State recently met with Dwight Howard and it appeared that the former Los Angeles big man was trending towards signing a deal with them after multiple meetings and workouts. Despite that though, no deal came to fruition and Howard will continue talking with other teams, per Shams Charania of The Athletic:
“The Warriors are not expected to sign Dwight Howard or another veteran center ahead of training camp, sources tell me. 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. So expect Howard’s to discuss a potential return to the league with any other interested teams in the coming week or so.
Howard acknowledged that he wasn’t done playing yet and expressed in joining the Sacramento Kings earlier in the offseason, so it’s clear that he is trying to make a return. The veteran spent last season overseas in Taiwan and dominated the lower-level competition, so he has some juice left in the tank.
The Warriors already have a front court rotation of Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Dario Saric, so Howard likely would not have had much of a role even if he signed there. He would be able to provide veteran experience though, something that may be appealing to the Warriors or another team down the line.
People were clamoring for the Lakers to bring back Howard this offseason but the team stuck with their strategy of trying to get younger and more athletic. While a fourth reunion between the organization and Howard would have been fun, this is probably the best outcome for both sides.
Dwight Howard can start Rolls Royce with 2020 championship ring
Howard helped the purple and gold capture the franchise’s 17th championship in 2020 and finally got to add the accomplishment to his resume. With the banner came some serious jewelry in the form of their rings and Howard showed off how it can start his Rolls Royce.
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