Denver Nuggets: How They Lost the Andre Iguodala Sweepstakes

Re-signing Andre Iguodala had been the Denver Nuggets’ top priority in free agency this year, but now the Nuggets are utterly Iggy-less. When Denver first traded for him in the multi-team Dwight Howard trade, I thought the Nuggets had made a grave mistake. Not only did it make the Los Angeles Lakers a complete powerhouse, but it sent a a talented Arron Afflalo and a valuable role player in Al Harrington away to the Orlando Magic in return for a guy from Philly whose offensive numbers had been in steady decline since his the 2007-08 season.

But then, a funny thing happened. Actually, a lot of funny things happened. Howard and the star-studded Lakers, who seemed like a shoo-in for the Western Conference Finals, fell apart due to injury problems, Kobe Bryant and Howard’s clashing personalities, an all-around lack of chemistry and choosing the Pringles guy over Phil Jackson for head coach. The Philadelphia 76ers and their promising core of Jrue Holiday and Andrew Bynum crumpled as fast as Bynum’s knees. The Magic were a terrible team despite Afflalo’s great year and Harrington dealt with injury problems for the majority of the season. Meanwhile, the Nuggets locked up the third seed in the West thanks to Iggy’s revival season and tremendous defense. Improbably, former general manager Masai Ujiri and the Denver Nuggets seemed to have won the Dwight Howard trade.

Fast-forward to today and now I’m not so certain about that statement anymore. When the Sacramento Kings offered Iggy a four-year, $56 million deal, we got a taste of just how easy it would be for a team to pry Andre Iguodala away for the Nuggets if that team were willing to pay up. What allure would playing for the Kings possibly have over staying with a talented roster in Denver? Other than the money, absolutely nothing. Can you imagine a happy Iguodala every time DeMarcus Cousins mouths off? I can’t. But then this happened:

And then Iggy’s reaction to Sacramento’s humongous “SIKE!” all but assured his return to Denver:

But a few days later, the Nuggets still hadn’t been able to re-sign him to a new deal. There were still a number of teams that seemed all too willing to throw piles of cash at Iguodala and the Sacramento situation was a strong indication that Denver wasn’t going to match an expensive deal. In my opinion, signing him to a massive deal just to keep him wouldn’t have been worth it. Iggy’s defense and decent offensive numbers make him a high-profile attraction of this year’s free agents, but he’s not that good and certainly not worth sinking Denver’s cap space. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton says it best:

Whatever your opinion on Iggy is, it was clear that Denver’s likelihood of re-signing him started to slip earlier today. It started off like this, with a team that had previously only seemed interested in Dwight Howard:

And then the previously unheard of possibility of Iggy going to Golden State became a little more likely:

And then it actually happened:

But here’s the best part for Golden State:

As USA Today’s Alex Kennedy explains, the Warriors can no longer sign Dwight Howard outright, but they can acquire him via a sign-and-trade with the Lakers. Two things had been hold back that possibility before: 1) The Lakers had said they’d rather let Howard walk and save cap space for 2014 than engage in a sign-and-trade and 2) the Warriors weren’t quite willing to part with Klay Thompson and/or Harrison Barnes, who they’d likely have to give up to the Lakers in that scenario.

Both problems have since been dealt with: the Lakers changed their stance and decided they could be open to a sign-and-trade after all and Harrison Barnes immediately became expendable with the acquisition of Iguodala. Whether or not it happens remains to be seen. The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are the most likely targets for Howard, but bringing Iguodala to Golden State has to make them a more attractive destination.

Now here’s the kicker for Nuggets fans:

So what does that mean for Denver? A missed opportunity, for one. Iguodala isn’t a must-have superstar, but he was a precious commodity for the Nuggets and arguably, their best all-around player. It’s almost an extra stab in the back that with the Sacramento deal, they weren’t offering enough money, but when they actually did offer him more than another team, he ended up signing with that other team. The irony is staggering.

Maybe the allure of playing with Stephen Curry under Mark Jackson was too great. Maybe the idea of starting over with a new coach and new GM in Denver wasn’t exactly enticing. But without Iggy and with Danilo Gallinari missing serious time, Denver now only has Wilson Chandler, Evan Fournier, Jordan Hamilton and Quincy Miller between the shooting guard and small forward positions. Re-signing Corey Brewer is now a must. Not exactly inspiring stuff, especially considering how important Iggy was on the defensive end for a Nuggets team that could definitely improve in that area.

Second, the Nuggets have indirectly empowered a team in the Western Conference for the second season in a row. Last season it was the Lakers and Dwight Howard, which actually turned out to be nothing more than a flash in the pan. This season it seems like the Warriors will be a contender with Iguodala (and possibly, Dwight Howard. Again). Had the Nuggets been able to re-sign Iguodala, they may have become a late-season dark horse once again. Without him, this season might be a bit of a struggle.

Finally and most importantly, it reveals that the Nuggets may not have won the Dwight Howard trade after all. Although they had a great season, a first-round exit to an upstart Warriors team wasn’t the goal when Denver brought Iguodala in. And now they’re losing him to the very team that knocked them out of the playoffs? The irony continues. Unfortunately for Denver, this loss puts them in dangerous middle-of-the-road territory that probably won’t result in great 2014 draft picks or get them very far in the playoffs. It’s kind of hard to deny that Nuggets fans are still fine with losing Arron Afflalo right about now, isn’t it?