Golden State Warriors big man moves to squash reports of departure from NBA
Usman Garuba's future is again up in the air despite reports earlier in the week that the Golden State Warriors big man was departing the NBA to return home to Spain to play for Real Madrid next season.
Eurohoops' Aris Barkas had reported that Garuba was set to end his three-year stint in the United States, stating that Real Madrid had convinced the former first-round pick to return to Europe on a long-term contract.
However, Garuba moved to squash reports of his departure from the NBA, taking to X/Twitter to state, "my future is not decide yet so stop spreading fake news. We keep working."
Despite his social media post, Usman Garuba is still expected to leave the Golden State Warriors and the NBA to return to Europe
The 6'8" big man played for Real Madrid's junior teams from the age 11 before becoming a full-time member of their senior team in the 2019-20 season. Garuba was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the 23rd pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, playing two seasons and 99 games for the franchise.
Despite Garuba's own comments on X/Twitter, a Eurohoops source still maintains that "only a solid offer from the NBA can change things and postpone his return to Europe."
I don’t usually write here but this time I have to do it. I understand every journalist/insider and their work they do but they got to have respect for the players and teams instead of providing false news without knowing anything that’s going on.
— Usman Garuba Alari (@Usmangaruba) May 30, 2024
My future is not decide yet…
After being traded by the Rockets to the Oklahoma City Thunder last offseason, Garuba was waived and subsequently signed to a two-way contract by the Warriors who were eager to see more of the 22-year-old's intriguing offensive skillset.
Yet Garuba was left to develop almost exclusively with Golden State's G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, averaging 10.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.6 blocks per game. He was converted to a standard contract late in the season, though that's given little indication of a potential future with the franchise going forward.
Garuba played just 18 total minutes across six games with the Warriors this season, having exclusively come in garbage time as any meaningful opportunity was seemingly taken by rookie big man Trayce Jackson-Davis.
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