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Andre Iguodala is approaching the midway point of his lucrative three-year, $48 million deal with the Golden State Warriors and as any other 34-year-old veteran would, is looking to what could be the last few years of his career.
Iguodala is unlikely to warrant much more than the minimum, as a slew of injuries in the tail end of his career have become a likely worry for any team hoping to acquire him.
“I’m going to be done soon,” he told Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area this week. “I could probably play a legit five more years, but I’ll probably max out at three more after this year – maybe three more.
“But if I’m not here [in Golden State], that will weigh heavily on what I will do. I possibly have another year here – if we win. That’s it. I know that. I’m fine with it.”
Iguodala holds a special value to this Warriors team, who could deploy him as a Swiss army knife, giving them a combination of defense, playmaking and all-around wit and veteran savvy by merely taking the floor.
Iggy is no longer the capable scorer and high-octane rebounder he once way in the heyday of his career and he knows it, now only able to provide as much as his older body enables him to give.
The 14-year pro is averaging only 4.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season, numbers hardly deserving of a $16 million per-year figure for other rosters. For the Warriors? it's likely worth every penny.
Iguodala's leadership and innate ability to inject his teammates a dose of immediate attention and focus is uncanny — and perhaps irreplaceable.
While he's likely squeezed out the most money he will make down the tail end of his NBA career, Iguodala knows that if the team doesn't want to continue the partnership past 2019-20, it could be a delicate market to navigate.
“Perception can become reality for people in the position of filing out rosters, like GMs,” said Iguodala. “Sometimes, perception is their reality, even when it’s wrong. It could mess up someone’s perception of you, what they think of you as a player. They say, ‘Oh, he is done.’ That is really hard. I don’t really worry about it.
“But at the same time, it is a thing. I know it’s out there. But at this point, I know I’m still pretty good. I really believe that. But if people don’t know that, I’ll just be like, ‘OK, I’m done playing.’”
The competitor in Iguodala is still looking forward to the task at hand — a three-peat that could put this time in the same breath as one of the best to ever step foot in an NBA arena — yet still keep a vigilant eye on when it will be time to hang them up for good.
