The Dwight Howard sweepstakes has been a popular topic this offseason and especially today as he is closing in on his decision for where he’d like to play next season. Howard reportedly made his decision and was going to announce it in the coming days, but he may have to reevaluate after today’s events.
The Golden State Warriors signed small forward Andre Iguodala to a four-year, $48 million contract earlier today, clogging up Golden State’s salary cap. After signing Iggy, the Warriors apparently cannot sign Howard outright, and this is where the Utah Jazz come in.
Golden State needed to dump salary in order to get Howard, and the Jazz were happy to take that salary.
The Jazz received Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush, 2014-17 first round picks and future second round picks all in return for Kevin Murphy, who has a non-guaranteed $788,000 salary in the 2013-14 season according to @WojYahooNBA on Twitter.
This was a very good deal for the Jazz because they didn’t necessarily receive bad players. The players they got can really help out the bench and they also got a ton of picks that will be useful in the future.
This deal might not immediately help Utah become a fifth seed in the Western Conference, but they could certainly be a threat in the West within the next five or so years.
Now, the Warriors have put themselves in a good position to get Howard, and the Jazz have a bright future ahead.
