The battle is on.
Andre Iguodala has not yet decided where he’ll play this season, but he’s not ruling out a return to the Golden State Warriors. According to a report from Shams Charania, Iguodala has narrowed his free agency decision to three teams: the Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Brooklyn Nets.
Three-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala narrows his playing choices to three teams: pic.twitter.com/o3EK6p7FZh
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 6, 2021
These finalists aren’t exactly surprising. Iguodala is clearly at the stage in his career where he wants to join a contending team, and all three fit that bill. The Nets will be favorites in the East if healthy thanks to an absurdly talented triumvirate of James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Iguodala’s former teammate, Kevin Durant. The Lakers may be favorites out West with their own talented trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook.
And of course the Warriors have a three-headed monster of their own in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. The Warriors trio may not be held in as high of regard as Brooklyn’s or LA’s (anymore, at least), but it comes with familiarity for Iguodala, who spent six seasons with the Dubs, sharing the court with Curry, Thompson, and Green in all six years, and playing in Steve Kerr’s system for five of those years.
There’s clearly a lot of comfort there, both on and off the court. Iguodala excelled in the Warriors system on both ends of the court, but also still lives in the Bay Area in the offseason, and considers Curry one of his closest friends.
That said, Iguodala is coming off of a rough season with the Miami Heat, in which he averaged just 4.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, while shooting 38.3% from the field. He’ll need to turn back the clock a little to be an x-factor for the Dubs.
Still, a starting lineup of Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Green, and Kevon Looney, with a bench of Iguodala, Jordan Poole, Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and a free agent center or point guard still looks pretty nice, with James Wiseman, Nico Mannion, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody developing in garbage time.