The status of veteran Andre Iguodala remains up in the air as he waits for the Memphis Grizzlies trade him, release him or buy out his contract.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been seen for months as major contenders for Iguodala’s services, but one new report indicates that the Denver Nuggets could emerge as their main rivals.
Sean Deveney of Heavy.com pointed out that the Nuggets have future assets that could conceivably entice the Grizzlies to make a deal. Like the Lakers and other contenders, they see Iguodala’s big-game experience as something that could provide a major boost come playoff time.
“For the Lakers, the Nuggets are the biggest threat to insert themselves into the Iguodala discussion,” Deveney wrote. “Denver owes this year’s first-rounder, but has the rest of its first-round picks intact (their second-rounders are owed for the next three years, though.) Denver is intrigued by the notion of adding Iguodala to help with potential playoff challenges like James or Kawhi Leonard.”
The 35-year-old Iguodala was dealt to the Grizzlies during the offseason after an impressive six-year run with the Golden State Warriors. During that span, he came off the bench to help the Warriors reach the NBA Finals five years in a row and also capture three league titles. In 2015, he was named NBA Finals MVP for his outstanding performance.
Iguodala and the Grizzlies came to an agreement in September, which indicated that he wouldn’t play for the team as it sought to send him elsewhere. While the Grizzlies could conceivably release Iguodala, the veteran’s $17.2 million contract for this season makes that extremely unlikely.
The possibility that the Grizzlies could buy out Iguodala’s contract is a much more plausible scenario. However, the team would prefer acquiring some sort of future asset for his services. Right now, the Lakers have no draft picks to offer, but could possibly send a young player and other contracts that would help match Iguodala’s salary.
The Lakers are hoping that sometime during the next three months, they end up as the team that acquires Iguodala. Entering Wednesday night’s home game against Iguodala’s former Golden State team, the Lakers have an 8-2 season record, which is the best in the Western Conference.
