Rudy Gay, Warriors Agree to 1-Year Contract Following Dwight Howard Rumors

Veteran forward Rudy Gay agreed to a one-year contract with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, according to his agent, Sam Permut.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Gay is hoping to play in his 18th NBA season and will compete for the Warriors' open roster spot in training camp.

Golden State had previously been linked to veteran center and potential future Hall of Famer Dwight Howard, but Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that despite him working out for the team, the Dubs decided against signing Howard so they could maintain their roster flexibility.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Kendra Andrews reported that the Howard workout was a case of the Warriors doing their due diligence.

Andrews also reported that the Warriors were looking to sign a "'glue guy' who will not be a distraction in a locker room already juggling multiple strong personalities," which perhaps perfectly describes Gay.

Gay, 37, spent the last two seasons of his career with the Utah Jazz, which traded him to the Atlanta Hawks in the John Collins deal in June. The Hawks then flipped him to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which waived him on July 19, making him a free agent this summer.

The Houston Rockets selected Gay eighth overall in the 2006 draft out of UConn and he was flipped to the Memphis Grizzlies. He has gone on to have a highly productive NBA career, also having played for the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs.

From 2007-17, he averaged at least 17 points and five rebounds per game. His best season came in 2014-15 as a member of the Kings when he averaged 21.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 68 games while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 35.9 percent from deep.

Gay is now well beyond his prime, but he can still be an effective bench player. During the 2022-23 season with the Jazz, he averaged 5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 56 games while shooting 38.0 percent from the floor and 25.4 percent from deep.

Gay's decision to join the Warriors comes as little surprise after Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported July 21 that Golden State was among a handful of teams expected to express interest in the veteran this summer.

Gay will bring some much-needed depth to a Golden State roster behind Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga.

After a disappointing finish to the 2022-23 season, the Warriors made it a priority this summer to bring in some talent around Stephen Curry Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in order to better contend for another title.

Gay joins Chris Paul as one of the club's top free-agent signings this offseason.