Grizzlies, Andre Iguodala at apparent impasse as training camp nears
Three weeks before the Memphis Grizzlies are scheduled to assemble for the 2019-2020 NBA season, the team and summer acquisition Andre Iguodala may be at an impasse, according to Monday night report.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported via a Tweet that the Grizzlies want Iguodala to report to training camp and are "refusing right now to engage in (a contract) buyout."
Grizzlies sources declined to comment on the report.
Andre Iguodala (9) rebounds over Toronto's Kawhi Leonard, left, as a Golden State Warrior Thursday, June 13, in Oakland, California. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
The Grizzlies acquired Iguodala from the Golden State Warriors at the start of the NBA offseason, using a trade exception created by the team's trade of Mike Conley to Utah to take on Iguodala's contract for next season. In exchange for taking that contract, the Warriors sent the Grizzlies a future first-round draft pick.
A few observations on the latest bump along this road. Eight in fact:
Iguodala is under contract: I left out what are frankly some pretty hard-sell elements in how Charania reported this. This is not a hostage crisis. Iguodala is under contract with the Grizzlies for north of $17 million for next season, and if you set aside all of the complexities of the situation, this all probably looks a little preposterous: Why shouldn’t the Grizzlies expect a player to honor his contract and report for training camp? Well, there are complexities, and we’ll deal with that one a couple of items below. But first, some other context.
The Dwight Howard buyout makes an Iguodala buyout (somewhat) less beneficial: By getting more than $2 million back in a buyout for Dwight Howard (after already shedding more than $3 million by trading CJ Miles for Howard to begin with), the Grizzlies are now several million below the NBA’s luxury tax line. Being close to that line can make it difficult to make roster maneuvers in-season. Now that the Grizzlies have created some meaningful wiggle room, there’s less of an impetus to accept a similarly modest buyout from Iguodala.
The trade market is likely thin (for now): I’ve written about this so much this summer that I won’t belabor it here, but just take my word for it: A trade right now to one of the teams Iguodala would be most likely to sign with in the event of a buyout – Lakers, Rockets, Clippers – is probably a long shot. There are some secondary potential suitors – Nuggets, Timberwolves, Mavericks, Pelicans – who could more easily put together a deal, but there’s no indication that any of those franchises would be willing to do so or that Iguodala would welcome a trade to them. (The latter perhaps impacting the former.)
Who is the intended audience?: It doesn’t take much skill in navigating context clues to discern that this report came from sources close to Iguodala. But assuming that’s the case, who is the primary audience? Is it meant to pressure the Grizzlies towards negotiating a buyout or potential trade suitors to get more aggressive?
What’s the value of bringing Iguodala into camp?: Why shouldn’t the Grizzlies want Iguodala to honor his contract and report to camp? It’s worth taking that question seriously rather than rhetorically. The Grizzlies are a rebuilding team trying to sort through prospects on a young roster. They already have some young-veteran role players – Jonas Valanciunas, Jae Crowder, Tyus Jones – who seem happy to be here. (Two of them signed contracts this summer to be here.) A grouchy Iguodala would serve as a distraction on Media Day and beyond. And while he would certainly help the team on the floor, is that the kind of help this Grizzlies team needs? If he weren’t a productive mentor in the Vince Carter mode, then Iguodala would just be taking developmental minutes away from young players. Finally, if the ultimate goal is to trade Iguodala, is bringing him into camp – rather than keeping him on the roster but away from the team – productive? Given his age, track record and reputation for coasting through the regular season and coming up big in the playoffs, could Iguodala possibly do anything in October, November or December to positively impact his trade value? Or does the potential for injury present only downside?
Keeping Iguodala into the season carries an opportunity cost: If the Grizzlies don’t find a trade they like before the season starts, there’s an obvious case to be made for keeping Iguodala on the roster – if not putting him on the court -- as the season begins. On Dec. 15, players signed this summer will be eligible to be traded, opening up more potential trade scenarios around the league. There’s also the chance that injuries will strike some contender in a way that increases the drive the acquire Iguodala. But that doesn’t mean that keeping Iguodala on the roster while waiting on a trade carries no cost. The Grizzlies have too many players already. Keeping Iguodala means waiving someone. That likely means either cutting bait on a young player with future potential, such as Bruno Caboclo, or waiving (at full cost) another significant contract, such as that of Josh Jackson ($7 million), Solomon Hill ($13 million) or Miles Plumlee ($13 million), all of those expiring contracts of a size that might be easier to move during the season.
Whatever happens, the Grizzlies are already a winner here: It’s worth remembering, the Grizzlies didn’t really trade for Iguodala. They took on his contract in order to get a first-round pick from the Golden State Warriors. They effectively used a trade exception and luxury tax room to buy a draft pick. It was a very modern NBA trade in that manner. The fact that Iguodala is still good enough that he might actually create additional value via the Grizzlies trading him again was, and remains, a bonus. The Grizzlies should be careful not to steer themselves into a public-relations corner here. If this does end in some kind of buyout, that will be no defeat for the Grizzlies.
This story won’t end in Memphis: The report in question suggested that by not granting Iguodala a buyout now, the Grizzlies “would prevent Iguodala from finishing a Hall of Fame career on his terms because this may be his final NBA season.” I mean … come on. Even if this is Iguodala’s final season, it’s not going to end in October. The Grizzlies carrying Iguodala into the season will not determine how his season ends. One way or another, you can expect Andre Iguodala to be in a different uniform after the February trade deadline.
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Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington has covered the Memphis Grizzlies, in one way or another, since the franchise’s second season in Memphis, while also writing about music, movies, food and civic life. As far as he knows, he’s the only member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association who is also a member of a film critics group and has also voted in national music critic polls for Rolling Stone and the Village Voice (RIP). He and his wife have two kids and, for reasons that sometimes elude him, three dogs.
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