According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Andre Iguodala wants out of Memphis and is refusing to report to training camp.
Just as we all thought, Andre Iguodala wants out of Memphis. After being traded as part of a salary dump to the Grizzlies, many assumed that Iguodala would just be bought out. Memphis had other plans though, keeping him on the roster and trying to seek out trade partners. There were murmurs of teams, such as the LA Clippers, who were interested in Iggy but no one pulled the trigger.
Now, the two sides are at an impasse. The situation didn’t seem too badly and this issue only became more prominent after the Grizzlies completed a buyout with Dwight Howard which allowed him to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Howard, like Iguodala, is at the tail end of his career and is trying to help a contender win a championship.
It can be argued that while Iguodala still has trade value, Howard did not. Still, if no team is chomping at the bit to get Iguodala via trade, it doesn’t seem like a big win for the Grizzlies to hang on to him.
Iguodala is VP of NBPA, one of league’s most respected and desires a contender at this stage. Young, rebuilding Grizzlies received a valuable 2024 1st from Golden State in Iguodala trade, and after Dwight Howard buyout, were expected to eventually have same talks with Iguodala. https://t.co/feAQl4Jbv0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 9, 2019
For a young team like Memphis, this could harm them in several ways. They don’t want to upset the VP of the NBPA as this could hamper them in getting free agents which they already have some trouble with as a small market team. They also shouldn’t want the drama around their young players who should instead just be focused on getting ready for the season.
As of Shams report last night, there was no indication that either side will budge. Contractually, Iguodala has to report to camp if he is still signed when it starts. If not, he will be subject to fines and suspensions. It’s hard to imagine that either side lets things get to this point, but the coming weeks will be interesting to watch.
With the LA Clippers so heavily linked to Iggy, all eyes will be on Memphis over the next couple of weeks as this situation unfolds. Keep checking back here and on Twitter for any and all updates.