2018 NBA free agency rumors: Warriors attracting interest from veterans including Dwight Howard
Jamal Crawford and Howard are among those interested in signing with Golden State
The Warriors are coming off their third championship in four years. That kind of consistency is really hard in the NBA even with arguably the greatest collection of talent ever assembled. The best way for winning teams to keep on winning is to keep the main core around while keeping the roster fresh with new role players. It can get expensive, but the championships are worth it.
Luckily for the Warriors, winning by itself makes the process of keeping and adding talent to the roster far easier. The only question mark for their core this offseason is the status of Kevin Durant, and the expectation is that he will re-sign after opting out of his contract. So the Warriors might be able to keep Durant, but what about the talent surrounding their core?
According to Sam Amick of USA Today, Golden State shouldn't be too worried about searching for talent. Players such as Jamal Crawford, Trevor Ariza, and Avery Bradley have all shown interest in joining the Warriors. Golden State could always use more wings, and has there ever been a more perfect fit in free agency than Crawford with this 3-point shooting Warriors team?
However, the most interesting name that Amick mentioned could be fallen star Dwight Howard. The former All-NBA big man has gone from on top of the world to a player who has been traded in two consecutive offseasons. He's currently being bought out by the Nets and reportedly has an interest in joining the Warriors. The only problem is Golden State isn't sure it wants to bring on the baggage that comes with Howard.
Eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard, who has yet to complete an expected buyout with Brooklyn, has serious interest in joining the Warriors. But there remains skepticism within the Warriors' walls about whether he would be a good fit, with Howard also known to be interested in joining LeBron James (wherever he winds up), New Orleans and Washington.
Howard, at his best, would be an incredible fit in Golden State. Despite his fall, he's still one of the NBA's best rebounders and he's great in the pick-and-roll. He's not as fast or athletic as he once was, but Howard can still protect the rim well and is a smart defender. As a basketball player, the fit is great, but he would need to buy in to the culture internally for that to work. With Howard that is always a question.
Of course, the Warriors have taken on personalities before and made it work. They just won a championship with JaVale McGee and Nick Young together. Both players that in the past have struggled to stick around on a roster. If Howard could work anywhere it would theoretically be Golden State.
This is also an example of how winning championships helps a team continue to win. All of these veterans could go elsewhere, and maybe take more money elsewhere, but they're showing an interest in the Warriors because they want to win. Dynasties are formed when great talent is brought together. Dynasties continue because that talent attracts players that desire winning and are willing to make sacrifices to win. The Warriors will have a selection of veterans every free agency period as a result of that.
















