Most of the attention around the NBA world is being paid to either the 2017 NBA Draft or the pursuit of trades for Paul George and/or Jimmy Butler. However, free agency looms and the Atlanta Hawks were tied to a very interesting veteran on Monday.
Shams Charania of The Vertical brings word that Atlanta is one of a handful of teams that is “expected to pursue discussions” with Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala.
Iguodala plans to seriously consider other teams in July, league sources told The Vertical. Prospective teams would need to show in meetings a vision to move toward contention to pry Iguodala from Golden State, league sources said. In four seasons with the Warriors, Iguodala, who made $11.1 million this past season, has served as a playmaker and primary wing defender and established himself as a high-character leader.
Many teams are expected to pursue discussions with Iguodala, including the Warriors, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks, league sources said. Among teams around the league, there’s a belief that the value this summer for a two-way wing such as Iguodala could reach $20 million annually.
It would be difficult to find a scenario in which adding Iguodala, especially at a number that “could reach $20 million annually” because of the Paul Millsap conundrum.
If the Hawks invested in Millsap long-term, the team would have to shed other salary in order to create the cap space needed to go after Iguodala or any other big-ticket free agent. If the Hawks let Millsap go, adding Iguodala (at the age of 33) would not exactly be a move that would ensure a return trip to the playoffs and would not be in line with a forward-thinking focus on the future.
With that said, Andre Iguodala is a phenomenal player that, at this juncture, is probably underrated by the general consensus given his role for the reigning champs. His free agency will be (very) interesting but, in the end, there are certainly teams (headlined by Golden State) that make more sense for his services. Stay tuned.