Dwight Howard, as it turns out, was much more coveted in free agency than initially thought. In fact, the Golden State Warriors were apparently intrigued in the services of the big man.
Howard was interviewed by NBC Sports Washington’s Chris Hughes and revealed why he choose the Wizards as the place where he wants to retire. He also revealed that the Warriors were interested in the him after his trade and release this offseason, perhaps before they decided to sign DeMarcus Cousins.
“Golden State called and I thought about them,” Howard told Hughes. “But once John sent me that message, I was like man. I couldn’t tell him at first, but I was like, ‘Man, I’m going to be a Wizard.’ That was my mindset.”
The decision not to sign with the back-to-back NBA champions, however, was made when Wall came calling through social media. He gave a “shoutout” to Wall for sending him an Instagram DM in the first place and making the Wizards a welcoming spot.
“He just said ‘do you want to come to D.C.?’ It wasn’t too much to be said. After he said that, I was like ‘bro, I’m with it.’ That conversation was like a confirmation for me,” Howard said. “Him reaching out, I’ve never had a guy like John Wall as a point guard, so why lose that opportunity?”
The story of Howard almost signing with the Warriors is almost more interesting than how he ended up in Washington. Golden State can’t be too disappointed given that they ended up with Cousins, but you have to wonder what could have been with Dwight on the Dubs.
