It's still likely Andre Iguodala has already played the last game of his distinguished NBA career. If they get past the Sacramento Kings to begin another deep run into the playoffs, though, the Golden State Warriors seem to at least be leaving open the possibility of Iguodala's return.
The Warriors updated Iguodala's status amid recovery from a broken left wrist on Saturday, noting the veteran forward has begun “progressive rehab” of the injury and “could be cleared” for light individual drills by early May or even the end of April.
Andre Iguodala injury update: pic.twitter.com/046TPiFhca
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) April 22, 2023
Iguodala fractured his left wrist in Golden State's 123-112 victory over the Phoenix Suns on March 13th. He underwent successful surgery just over a week later, with the team announcing he would be re-evaluated in four weeks.
The Warriors next re-evaluation for Iguodala is scheduled two weeks out. Assuming no setbacks and the Warriors advancing, he could potentially rejoin them for practices of the Western Conference Semifinals, preparing his body for a return to play before being cleared by team doctors.
But even less certain is if Steve Kerr would feel comfortable throwing Iguodala into the playoff fire for a rotation role as he comes back from an injury and his final season never quite got off the ground. The 38-year-old appeared in just eight games during the regular season, beset by nagging injuries while ramping up toward his debut and after he finally took the floor.
Iguodala's influence was obvious when he was healthy enough to play, though, his defensive instincts and overall processing speed making a difference for the Warriors in 14.1 minutes off the bench. It'd be stunning if Andre Iguodala played that significant a role for Golden State again going forward.
But no matter how his stellar career finishes, it certainly won't hurt the Warriors to hear his voice and feel his presence on the practice court now that his wrist is healing.
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