Still inactive in the ongoing season, Andre Iguodala has his eyes set on other teams and will not suit up for the Memphis Grizzlies. The former NBA Finals MVP is rumored to join any of the Los Angeles clubs, the Lakers or the Clippers soon, but it seemed that Iguodala donning the Mavericks jersey is closer to reality.
As far as the Lakers are concerned, what likely will open the door for Iguodala is a buyout move by the Grizzlies. That would give the former Warriors the prompt to choose a team to his liking, and it has been reported that the Lakers would want somebody like Iggy. The same goes for Iguodala.
However, Memphis has indicated that buying out Iguodala's $17 million contract from the Warriors is not an option anymore, this was according to Bleacher Report, and pointing to the information provided by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
This report remains unconfirmed, but it is potentially a piece of good news that the Mavericks could use. The team from Dallas has a bargaining chip that could convince Memphis to send Iguodala their way.
Dallas is emerging as the next destination for Iguodala, Yahoo Sports reported, and citing Brian Windhorst as a source.
"One place is shaping up as a possibility as you talk to executives out there. That is the Dallas Maverick ... Executives believe the Mavericks are a team that we should watch when it comes to the Andre Iguodala landing spot," Windhorst was reported as saying.
Right now, Mavericks have on their roster Courtney Lee, and when paired with a second-round draft pick, they have a tempting package "they could potentially use to get Memphis interested," the report added.
Yet why would Dallas bother with the 35-year-old Iguodala, who likely will exit the NBA in a few years' time?
According to Forbes, the Mavericks' recent match with the Clippers should offer a clue. Dallas did play an excellent game, and as usual, the team was bannered by Luca Doncic. Still, the Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers overwhelmed Dallas, and that has to indicate a piece of a puzzle remains missing on the latter's side.
That missing piece could be provided by Iguodala, who owns several NBA rings playing for the Golden State Warriors.
"He provides a veteran presence with a defensive pedigree. Even though he will turn 36 before February's trade deadline, it was only a few years ago that he won Finals MVP honors for his defense of LeBron James," Forbes said.
Of note, Iguodala, in his last season with GSW, has registered fairly competitive numbers. His shooting accuracy was nearly 50% and was supported by the following: 9.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks.
However, Iguodala's most important asset is his willingness to act as the sixth man or the role player that is deployed on the court for one driving reason - the win the battle at hand and the war later on.
