The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the favorites to win the championship this season with LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the charge. They would become the overwhelming favorite to win it all if they were able to acquire Andre Iguodala.
Iguodala is owed $17.2 million this season, the final year of his contract. The 2015 Finals MVP won’t play a single game for the Memphis Grizzlies. Multiple reports have said Memphis won't buy out Iguodala, which means the Lakers would have to trade for Iggy if they are serious about acquiring him.
The Lakers have to do whatever it takes to keep Iguodala away from the other team in LA, the Los Angeles Clippers. If the Clips got Iguodala, they would have Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Patrick Beverley and Iguodala as their wing defenders, something which would spell trouble for the rest of the NBA.
LeBron would probably be privately upset if the Clippers got Iguodala instead of his Lakers. The King already has a tough time scoring against Leonard and George. With Iggy in the mix, James would have three stout long defenders defending him at all times.
Last season for the Warriors, Iguodala averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 58.2 percent from the free-throw line. The 35-year-old swingman put up 9.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the 2019 playoffs.
Iguodala would give the Lakers another playmaker, defender and veteran guy who has Finals experience under his belt. He's not the high-flyer he once was with the Philadelphia 76ers, but Iguodala has a high IQ and seemingly always makes the right play in crunch time.
That's something the Lakers could use once the playoffs start. You throw out a lineup with LeBron, Davis and Iguodala in it, and you're going to have a really high chance of winning close games in the fourth quarter once the game slows down, something which regularly happens during playoff basketball.
Nothing seems imminent at the moment in terms of the Iguodala sweepstakes. The Grizzlies would likely still prefer to get something back in a trade. Looking at the Lakers, there doesn't appear to be a player Memphis would have interest in taking back for Iguodala. Maybe the Grizzlies would ask for multiple draft picks instead.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said back in September the Grizzlies firmly believe they can find a trade partner for Iguodala at some point during the regular season by aggregating other contracts into a potential deal.
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka was able to acquire Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans, getting LeBron the second superstar he needed to win a championship. Now, Pelinka has to keep that aggressive mindset in the back of his head and figure out a way to get Andre Iguodala in a Lakers uniform before the February trade deadline passes. The veteran swingman is too versatile of a player for the Lakers to see go elsewhere, especially when they have a legitimate shot of winning the championship this season.
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