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Andre Iguodala's summer has consisted of a back-and-forth that could determine his future in the league. After being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, the veteran sixth man has been hoping to work out a buyout agreement with his new team, knowing it is still rebuilding in the wake of the departures of Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.
The longtime veteran is still eager to play this season, but notes he's still trying to figure out a way out of Memphis:
“We’ll see,” said Iguodala, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “OK, maybe I shouldn’t say we’ll see. But we’re trying to figure out things on both sides. They’re trying to figure out some things, and I’m trying to figure out some things. As of today, we’re on the same page. Camp opens the next week. We’ll see. We’re on the same page though.”
The trade market has been fairly dry for Iguodala, who still has a hefty $17 million left in the last year of his contract. Most of the teams interested in his services likely want him at a discount for the veteran's minimum, or perhaps just above it.
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Yet Iguodala argues that when it comes to negotiating a buyout, the only one that makes sense if if he doesn't leave money on the table:
“At this point, the only buyout that makes sense — if I’m speaking on someone else’s behalf, thinking as an agent — is you don’t leave money on the table,” said Iguodala. “Especially in this league. Because you’ll never get it back, no matter what people say. Negotiations are a tactic, so you’ve got to be careful how you approach it, or how you verbalize what you would do going forward. But you can’t leave anything on the table.”
It's tough to see Memphis agreeing to buy him out for the full amount of his contract, or even perhaps for $14.63 million — the difference of what he would make on a minimum contract to complete the $17.19 million he's owed. Yet desperation is a powerful tool, and if no team comes calling before the trade deadline expires, the Grizzlies just might just have to be the ones to let go of the rope first.
