In an unexpected turn of events, the Golden State Warriors sent Andre Iguodala to Memphis Grizzlies in a salary dump move which helped them land D’Angelo Russell. No one, however, expected that Iguodala would spend significant time with the Grizzlies as the franchise is currently in the rebuilding phase.
The opinion around the league was that Memphis will give the three-time NBA champion and 2015 NBA Finals MVP a contract buyout which will enable him to sign with a title contender. The only problem here is that Grizzlies seem to have a different idea.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Grizzlies are refusing to engage into buyout talks with Iguodala and expect him to report to the training camp.
There is a possibility that Memphis Grizzlies want to see whether they can extract some value for Andre Iguodala instead of just letting him walk. On the other hand, they might see his experience and leadership skills as an important addition to their young roster and hope Iguodala could take the role of a mentor.
Iguodala probably isn’t happy with this outcome, however. He is entering the final years of his NBA career and would definitely want to finish them competing for titles rather than being at the bottom of the Western Conference. He is already attracting interest from several teams, with Los Angeles Lakers emerging as the favorites for his signature if buyout with Memphis ends up taking place.
