Best possible trade destinations for Andre Iguodala before deadline

In case you forgot, Andre Iguodala is still in the NBA. He hasn’t played this season after being dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of shedding salary for the Golden State Warriors to bring in D’Angelo Russell. So Iggy has been sitting out for the Grizz in search of a trade to a contending team. The time is almost up on the trade clock, so Iguodala news should heat up heading into next week. The veteran is coming off three rings in the past five seasons with the Dubs, including a NBA Finals MVP in 2014-15. Iguodala would be a more-than-welcomed addition to any contending team for the stretch run. Let’s take a look at the best landing spots for Iggy before the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline.

Los Angeles Lakers

Iguodala is the perfect glue guy that a contending team brings in to put them over the top. The Lakers have more than enough to win a title right now, but would adding Iggy hurt? Of course not. Adding a proven veteran winner to a core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis is scary if you’re competing with the Lake Show in the playoffs. Iguodala is a defensive stopper who can guard multiple positions, he’s a great team player, good passer, good 3-point shooter. Under the basketball dictionary for “3-and-D” you’ll see Iguodala’s picture.

The logistics of this deal aren’t too tough to figure out, but the big thing is what will entice Memphis? The Lakers would need to shed salary, so getting rid of Danny Green ($14.6M) makes the most sense. You’d also need a kicker, so Quinn Cook ($3M) or Alex Caruso ($2.75M) needs to go as well to make Iggy’s $17.1M salary fit. After that, the Lakers can throw in a few picks to sweeten the deal and that should be plenty.

Los Angeles Clippers

If you’ve got a sibling and you see them playing with a shiny new toy, your first instinct is to take that toy and try and play with it too. This is the scenario I think will play out with the Lakers and Clippers. The Clips see the Lake Show about to add a shiny new top for a playoff run and try and swoop in and steal it. Iguodala may not fit into the Clippers crunch time lineup initially. It’s normally Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Montrezl Harrell. I can’t really see any of those guys being replaced by Iguodala to end a game, but a case can be made. Still, adding Iggy denies the Lakers and adds depth at guard and behind Kawhi and PG-13. Imagine a lineup of Beverley, Iggy, Kawhi and PG-13 ... Would an opponent be able to score on that? The thought is scary.

So in trying to make a trade work, it’s similar to the Lakers. The Clippers would need to shed a few contracts and Moe Harkless at $11M makes the most sense. After that, throw in Rodney McGruder ($4.8M) and say Derrick Walton Jr. ($1.4M) and it works. The sweetener would likely be picks in this case and unfortunately the Clippers don’t really have much in that department after the Paul George trade. Maybe throwing in an asset like Landry Shamet would help the Grizz toward a deal?

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks have made it clear they’re trying to make a push this season. Dwight Powell is out for the season and the team added Willie Cauley-Stein as a replacement last week. As of this writing, the Mavericks are 29-17 and in 5th place in the West. They can realistically push for a top 4 seed, which would give them home court in at least one playoff round. I think with a player like Luka Doncic, anything is possible if you’re Dallas. So adding a veteran presence like Iguodala at a position of need makes a ton of sense. The Mavs have been starting three guards in Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Seth Curry recently. They could move Curry back to the bench in favor of Iggy, creating a deeper rotation and shoring up perimeter defense a bit.

This trade is simple to make considering the Mavs can ship out Courtney Lee’s expiring deal of $12.7 million. I love how Dorian Finney-Smith is playing and I know Mavs fans probably don’t want to see him go, but he’s a legit trade piece the Grizzlies could either flip or develop a bit. His $4M salary the next two seasons is also pretty decent considering the type of numbers he’s posted when given the playing time. So honestly, I think this trade is the most logical for both sides. Dallas would likely throw in another pick to juice up this deal.