Warriors add young center on two-way deal
The Warriors signed a former Rockets center in their hunt for a backup big man, but it was not Dwight Howard, whose meeting with the team last week drew interest online.
Instead, Golden State has signed Usman Garuba to a two-way contract, meaning he can bounce between the NBA and the Warriors’ G League team in Santa Cruz.
Garuba, 21, is a 2021 first-round pick who played backup minutes for Houston last season after splitting time between the NBA and G League as a rookie.
He played in 75 games for the Rockets in 2022-23, averaging 12.9 minutes per game. He scored only 3.0 points per game but averaged 4.1 rebounds in those limited minutes. Additionally, one-third of his shot attempts were 3-pointers, and he made 41% of them, though the sample is small (24-of-59).
Garuba was traded twice this summer and ultimately released by Oklahoma City last month. He played for his native Spain in the FIBA World Cup, averaging 8.2 points in 16.8 minutes over five games.
The Warriors’ big-man rotation is likely to feature Draymond Green and Kevon Looney in heavy minutes, with free-agent addition Dario Saric leading the bench. JaMychal Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and Anthony Lamb all filled in some minutes last season and return to the roster, but it’s clear the Warriors sought another option after losing Nemanja Bjelica from the 2022 NBA Finals team.
The Warriors also drafted Indiana combo big Trayce Jackson-Davis in June.