Andre Iguodala is one of the few remaining veteran commodities available for trade, though if the Memphis Grizzlies can't find a workable agreement within the next three months, the former 2015 Finals MVP could be up for grabs in the Western Conference.
According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, executives in the West are hoping to pry the former Golden State Warriors stalwart from the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers and use Iguodala as a potential playoff stopper to put in front of LeBron James.
While a trade to an Eastern Conference team is feasible, this general manager thinks there's more value in weaponizing Iguodala not only as a defender against James, but also one less resource for the Lakers' bench:
“He’s got more value in the West,” said the GM. “I can’t see a team in the East moving for him. He has the experience guarding LeBron and that’s what you want out of him. That and you want to keep him off the Lakers, you want their bench to be a weak spot. He doesn’t have those same kinds of good matchups in the East. You don’t want to put him on Giannis (Antetokounmpo) in a seven-game series, for sure.”
No man has defended James more in a playoff series in the past five seasons than Andre Iguodala, so it would come to reason that he is viewed as an experienced and cagey veteran who knows just how to defend the soon-to-be 35-year-old James.
Iguodala would also have the benefit of using the last few games of the regular season to gear into playoff shape and have fresh legs to defend James once he's called upon. Teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, and Dallas Mavericks could benefit from Iguodala's veteran savvy and his playoff-tested mettle.
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