NBA Trade Rumors: Golden State Warriors Must Go for Broke on Dwight Howard

There are two schools of thought when it comes to the Golden State Warriors and their pursuit of All-Star center Dwight Howard.

One school of though is that the Warriors should pass on Howard altogether and continue to build through the draft.

But the other thought is that Golden State should go for broke in an attempt to acquire Howard.

That's not the stance the Warriors are taking, according to Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury News (via Twitter).

"

Oh, forgot to tweet this earlier. I'm told the Warriors are NOT interested in trading for Dwight Howard unless he signs extension

— Marcus Thompson (@gswscribe) July 2, 2012"

That's the stance I have always taken regarding the Warriors pursuit of Howard, especially after a draft that has Golden State looking so promising for the future.

But would it be the worst thing in the world to go all-in on Howard?

You have to ask yourself what the ultimate plan in Golden State is.

On paper as is, the Warriors should be a good team, and that's it. They aren't title contenders by any stretch of the imagination, and there's really no sign that they will ever be legitimate title contenders at this pace.

Mediocrity may be an improvement over the past few years, but it's not going to get this team into title contention anytime soon. Until they land a legitimate superstar, that's never going to change.

Taking a run at Howard could be the Warriors' best option at taking a run at actually doing something. 

If they could put together an offer that the Magic would accept, that puts the Warriors in the driver's seat.

They either win with him and convince Howard to re-sign or they flip him at the trade deadline for more assets to build with.

It's a tough spot to be in, and while I really do like where the Warriors are headed, acquiring Howard could be a win-win situation, as long as if they had to deal him, they get more in return than they gave up.

Here's a chance to go for it, and those chances don't pop up very often.

If they don't take it, the Warriors could be a seven or eight seed this season but won't be competing for a championship, which at the end of the day should be the only goal of this franchise.