The crazy 2019 NBA offseason marked the rise of new powerhouse teams in the league, including the two NBA teams situated in Los Angeles – the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. After a series of trade negotiations with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Lakers succeeded to pair LeBron James with Anthony Davis, while the Clippers signed reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in the 2019 NBA free agency and acquired Paul George in a blockbuster deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With the improvements they made on their roster this summer, the Lakers and the Clippers are currently considered as the top favorites to fully dominate the Western Conference and win the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season. As of now, both Los Angeles teams continue to find ways to address some of the issues on their roster. According to Scott Rafferty of NBA Canada , one of the moves that could give the Clippers a “slight edge” over the Lakers next season is the trade that would give them Memphis Grizzlies small forward Andre Iguodala.
“Adding Iguodala to that core seems unfair. Together, they would give Clippers head coach Doc Rivers the option of rolling out lineups featuring four players who can legitimately guard three positions – four in the case of Leonard, George and Iguodala. More importantly for franchise as a whole, they’d have three players who have had success against LeBron James in the past. George less so than Leonard and Iguodala, but they are better suited than just about anyone else in the NBA right now to defend the four-time MVP.”
The potential acquisition of Andre Iguodala would ease the load on Paul George and Kawhi Leonard’s shoulders on the defensive end of the floor. Iguodala may no longer be in his prime, but he’s still someone who could be tasked to guard the opposing team’s best player in crucial situations. Trading for Iguodala would undeniably give the Clippers an advantage over the Lakers as they would be having another known “LeBron James-stopper” on their roster.
However, as Rafferty noted, it remains a big question mark if the Clippers have enough trade assets that they can convince the Grizzlies to send Andre Iguodala to Los Angeles. The Clippers could use the likes of Maurice Harkless, JaMychal Green, Rodney McGruder, Jerome Robinson, Patrick Patterson, and Landry Shamet as trade assets to match Iguodala’s salary. However, in the potential deal involving Iguodala, the Grizzlies are expected to demand a trade package including a future draft pick.
