When he was initially traded to the Memphis Grizzlies from the Golden State Warriors, it was the prevailing thought that Andre Iguodala would never play a game for the Grizzlies and was widely considered just a matter of tIme before the two parted ways. Initially, Memphis indicated they did not intend to buyout the veteran forward and wanted him to report to training camp.
However according to a report from the Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington, the Grizzlies have reached an agreement with Iguodala in which he will remain on the roster but will be allowed to continue private workouts as the ballclub searches for a suitable trade. In addition, Iguodala will be required to attend the team’s Media Day.
The Grizzlies are making the smart play by holding on Iguodala. There are clearly clubs interested in acquiring his services and as a team in the midst of what could be an extended rebuild, getting an asset or assets for Iggy is simply the intelligent course of action.
A stumbling block to getting a deal done could be money. Iguodala is slated to make nearly $17.2 million this coming season, meaning a trade partner would at least send out $13.7 million to make the trade acceptable, according to league rules. The contenders that have been most linked to acquiring Iguodala- the Lakers, Rockets and Clippers – do not have that much in salary they would be willing to part with to make a potential deal happens. So it appears that if a trade is to happen with one of those teams, a third team may have to be brought into the mix.
