NBA Rumors: The Memphis Grizzlies are holding out hope that they can get an asset in exchange for Andre Iguodala
Heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, there really won’t be anyone expecting the Memphis Grizzlies to be a playoff team in the deep Western Conference. So, it’s a bit interesting – perhaps confusing is a better word – that the team is refusing to come to a buyout agreement with Andre Iguodala.
Iggy was traded to the Grizzlies earlier in the summer, as the Golden State Warriors scrambled to make room for D’Angelo Russell (who was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Kevin Durant).
The big question, though, as training camps inch closer and closer to opening is whether the Grizzlies stance on Iguodala will change between now and the start of the season. Since the trade (in July) the Grizzlies haven’t hesitated. They intend on keeping Iguodala on their roster for now.
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Or, perhaps they’re waiting for a contender to offer a competitive trade offer. After all, Iguodala is perhaps too valuable of an asset to just let hit the open market in exchange for nothing. Maybe that’s the endgame for the Grizzlies.
According to Sean Deveney, that is sounding more and more like the plan heading into the start of the season.
"[via Heavy.com]“What the Grizzlies are doing, it is to be expected,” one league executive told Heavy.com. “They’re looking at him as an asset and they want to get something in return for him. He’s under contract, so they hold all the cards.”"
Over the last few years, Iguodala, who was named the NBA Finals in 2015, emerged as a pivotal cornerstone for the Warriors. In the end, he simply didn’t fit on the team anymore and was a cap casualty considering the circumstances that the team was in.
The Grizzlies have a nice young core and there is a theoretical role for Iguodala to play on the team. However, it’s probably in the better interest of both sides to find a deal sooner rather than later. And, considering the history of the league, you have to believe that one will eventually get done.