Golden State Warriors Wanted Dwight Howard Before DeMarcus Cousins

Dwight Howard may have been with the Golden State Warriors next season instead of DeMarcus Cousins if the Washington Wizards did not end up signing him.

Howard became a free agent when he was traded by the Charlotte Hornets to the Brooklyn Nets, only to later be waived immediately upon his acquiral.

The former All-Star would then go on to sign a reported two-year, $11 million deal with the Wizards earlier this month and credited point guard John Wall's approach on social media as a key factor.

"Shoutout to John for reaching out to me and asking me about joining this team," Howard said during his introductory press conference, as quoted on NBC Sports. "No lie, when I saw the message on Instagram, I really got so happy. I was like 'John just DM'd me, oh man this is crazy!' After that, I really just started to put on my thinking cap. I just thought about all the possibilities. I was like 'man, this could be the best spot for me.'"

"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. Him reaching out, I've never had a guy like John Wall as a point guard, so why lose that opportunity?" he said.

The American center has not lived up to his Orlando Magic days in recent seasons but is still a good player for any team to have on their roster. This is clearly evidenced by the fact that Howard claims the Warriors were after his services as well.

"Golden State called and I thought about them," he added. "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."

Of course, things worked out for all parties in the end as the Warriors went on to sign free agent Cousins using their midlevel exception and although the former New Orleans center is injured right now resulting in his lack of offers, once fit, the reigning champions could be even further strengthened as they look for a fourth championship in five years.

NBC Sports' Monte Poole however, writes that while the Warriors did give Howard a call, Cousins would have ultimately been their preferred option had they known he would become available on the market.

"The Warriors had no idea Cousins would be in their price range until he reached out to Warriors president/general manager Bob Myers on the morning of July 2. Once he did, Myers immediately conducted a poll," Poole wrote. "The GM contacted the team’s most influential players and received unanimous approval. They all embraced the notion of Cousins as a Warrior. They’ve admired his work from afar, and despite some contentious moments have spoken in glowing terms of his skills."

"Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson got to know Cousins better during their time as member of Team USA in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Green and Cousins were dominoes teammates during down time. Howard was not a member of Team USA. His last appearance representing the country came 10 years ago, during the 2008 Beijing Olympics," Poole said.

Wall approaching Howard on social media may well have been a blessing in disguise for the Warriors.