Golden State Warriors: Setting expectations for pending free agents
Andre Iguodala
ESPN‘s Chris Haynes recently reported that several teams are planning to pursue Iguodala in “an attempt to weaken the Golden State Warriors’ choke hold on the NBA.”
Haynes named several teams with interest in the 33-year-old swingman, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers.
No specific bid figure has been specified, but any team plucking Iguodala will have to overpay on the back end. While he’s still an excellent player, the Warriors’ ability to keep his minutes (fewer than 27 per game in each year under Kerr) and usage (from 13.3 to 12.1 to 11.2 in each successive year) down has somewhat artificially prolonged his longevity.
He’s well worth $20 million next year, but will likely demand that over three seasons in negotiations with other teams.
With Iguodala open to leaving Warriors and league interest accelerated, he plans to field offers at midnight Saturday, league sources say. https://t.co/TVUs6GFwkz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2017
The Warriors simply need ask themselves two things: One, how much luxury tax is Iguodala worth, and two, does re-signing him impact their ability to sign Livingston? While Iguodala is the more vital piece, they may prefer Livingston at half the price.
Ultimately, both sides should come to an agreement. Even the best owners can destroy their reputation with one cheap move, and given the Warriors’ lack of cap space, replacing Iguodala with an external free agent would be impossible.
Iguodala will likely cave a little when push comes to shove, but more on dollars than years.
Projection: Three years, $50 million (front-loaded)