After a failed three-peat, the Golden State Warriors found themselves parting ways with some of their core players in the 2019 NBA offseason. When Kevin Durant agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets, the Warriors were forced to trade Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies in order to create enough salary-cap space for D’Angelo Russell. Iguodala would undeniably be a good veteran mentor to the Grizzlies’ young players, but with the team currently in the middle of a rebuilding process, most people don’t see him staying long in Memphis.
Although Iguodala isn’t expected to play a single game with the Grizzlies, Memphis made it clear to everyone in the league that they have no intention of letting the veteran small forward walk away as an unrestricted free agent without getting anything valuable in return. According to Matt Burke of Metro USA , the Grizzlies are refusing to buy out Iguodala’s contract, believing that he would receive plenty of trade interest from NBA teams who want to boost their chance of contending for the NBA championship in the 2019-20 NBA season.
Several NBA teams could emerge as potential suitors for Andre Iguodala before the February NBA trade deadline, including the Boston Celtics. As Burke noted, in the potential deal involving Iguodala, the Celtics are the NBA team that could offer the “best package” to the Grizzlies.
“The Celtics could offer the best package, and the Grizzlies would love to get their own first round pick back from Boston. But it’s unlikely that Danny Ainge would part with that valuable asset in order to add someone who will be 36 years old this coming January. Part of the reason the Celtics were so dysfunctional last season was that they had too many mouths to feed. They were too deep. If the Celtics were to make a move for a veteran like Iguodala, they would be trading players, not picks.”
Trading for a defensive-minded wingman with plenty of championship experience like Andre Iguodala makes a lot of sense for the Celtics, especially if they are serious about fully dominating the Eastern Conference and contending for the NBA championship next season. Iguodala may no longer be in his prime, but he is still capable of stepping up in crucial situations and could be tasked to guard the opposing team’s best player. However, Burke believes that in the potential deal that would send Iguodala to Boston, the Celtics may only be willing to give up players and not future draft picks.
Aside from the Celtics, other NBA teams who may consider trading for Andre Iguodala before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline include the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and the Dallas Mavericks.