Usman Garuba spent this past season on a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors. He made six appearances for Steve Kerr’s team. Garuba was a regular for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G-League, starting 21 games and averaging 13.6 minutes. At 22 years old, Garuba is still seen as a young prospect who could improve to become a rotation player in the NBA.
However, it would appear Garuba has decided to return to Europe in search of more consistent playing time. According to EuroHoops, the 23rd pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is returning to Real Madrid, where he will replace the outgoing Vincent Poirier, who is heading to the Turkish league.
“Real Madrid has convinced Usman Garuba to leave the NBA and return to Europe, per Eurohoops sources, joining the EuroLeague finalists with a long-term contract,” EuroHoops reported. “The 22-year-old Garuba, a product of the junior teams of Real Madrid got drafted in 2021 and left the Spanish powerhouse for the NBA where in three years he played 105 games (99 with the Rockets and six with Golden State).”
Garuba could return to the NBA in the future. For now, though, heading back to Europe and securing consistent playing time at an elite level is what is best for his development. Madrid is among the best European teams and consistently competes in the EuroLeague.
With this move, Garuba will be returning to the team that helped him develop into an NBA prospect. He will now be hoping to continue his development as a core part of the first team. For now, though, his time in the NBA looks to be over.