Andre Iguodala

Andre Iguodala
SG/SF - 6’6, 215lbs - 34 years old - 14 years of experience

Andre Iguodala is slowing down. Except for an insignificantly small rise in his blocks per game, his numbers were down this season across the board. His points, rebounds, assists, steals and turnovers per game were all worse, his field goal percentage was down, his three-point shooting was way down, and even his free throw percentage went down 9%. Now aged 34 and with nearly 1,200 NBA games in those knees, a decline is expected.

Nonetheless, Iguodala is one of those players who is perhaps most notable by his absence. While he himself may not be finishing many possessions any more or have the speed or stamina to be the premier perimeter defender he once was, he is nonetheless a quarterback defensively, who sees everything and calls it out. He is just as much of a perimeter lynchpin on this end as Draymond Green is in the back line.

The lack of a consistent jump shot these days limits Iguodala's abilities offensively; however, it must be remembered that at one point this season he also played point guard. Any 34-year-old wing man who is still capable of starting a playoff series at point guard, even in consideration of the phenomenal offensive and playmaking talent around him, is a 34-year-old reserve wing man who still has something to offer.

As mentioned elsewhere, the Warriors will eventually have to break this thing up, and financial concerns may be a part of why. Iguodala is going to be very expensive over these next two seasons for an increasingly small role, one that could be replaced in some form, even if by a piecemeal approach from others. But if it is deemed necessary that he is moved on, it could only have been for financial reasons. As the Rockets' series proved, Iguodala remains vitally important out there.

Player Plan: Problematically expensive two years and $33,185,185 remaining. There is surely no way this contract can survive until the end, right? The Warriors need Iguodala, but they also need to cut the bills. This isn't the Heat amnesty-clausing Mike Miller here. This is seriously big time money.

Andre Iguodala
SG/SF, 6’6, 215lbs, 33 years old, 13 years of experience

Iguodala still does so many things for this or indeed any team that losing him would be a painful loss. Despite the fact that McCaw may grow into his role over time, offering much of the same things, not even favour-able McCaw projections such as mine see him offering them quite to the standard Iguodala does, a star role player if ever there was one. However, if the enormous cost of keeping the team together is going to force the team's hand into losing someone of note, I argue that it should be Iguodala. His defence is impeccable, but the team with both Thompson and Green is the one that can afford to lose it. His transition game is very useful, but the Warriors could sign Bob Costas and still be able to get up and down the floor. And while his occasional scoring via spot-ups, cuts and the occasional off-the-dribble move reminiscent of his youth are still handy, they are not as vital as the others. Hopefully it needn't happen, but if someone has to go, the veteran backup small forward is the one.

Player Plan: Expiring $12,112,359 contract. Of all of the front five, should one absolutely have to walk to keep costs down, Iguodala could be the one. He does a lot for the team, of course, but is also the oldest and the least vital. With this in mind, maybe he can be convinced to take a discount.

[...] The choice of Jackson over the other candidates was deliberate, and only slightly motivated by cost. Andre Iguodala is better at small forward, ball dominant, not nearly as good of a shooter as he thinks he is, and not nearly the calibre of half-court creator he so desperately wants to be.²⁶ A backcourt of Derrick Rose and Monta Ellis cannot stop anybody, and while it would thrive in the open court, it effectively mitigates itself in the half court. J.R. Smith can't be trusted, and was once traded by the Bulls for Adrian Griffin and Aaron Gray, which is no endorsement at all. Anthony Parker is no longer starting calibre. Michael Heisley has seemingly made the cost of acquiring O.J. Mayo unnecessarily prohibitive, particularly for one so average. Jason Richardson no longer wants to dribble, defend, or do anything much to get open without the ball. Vince Carter is emphatically done. Denver should (or ought) match a full MLE deal to Arron Afflalo. Courtney Lee won't come for anything less than Omer Asik, which is not a deal worth making. The Daniel Gibson, Jamal Crawford and Leandro Barbosa-types would be most useful, but only as hard-to-acquire backups. And Richard Hamilton is.......well, no.

How Philadelphia balance their roster from here is not immediately obvious. Even with this huge infusion of talent, the situation is a mess. Andre Iguodala has been used as their primary halfcourt creator over the last two seasons, but really isn't that good at it; unfortunately, he plays the same position as Turner. So do does Thaddeus Young, a man who would be an ideal backup combo forward in the role that Turk Nowitzki fits for Milwaukee (and that Jeff Green should do for Oklahoma City), but who has to share time there with equally effective backup Marreese Speights and the remains of Elton Brand, with whom the team are stuck. Bad trades have also seen the team stuck with Andres Nocioni and Jason Kapono as unnecessary small forward options; meanwhile, the only average guards are Jrue Holiday and Louis Williams, neither of whom are really point guards, but whom also cannot really play together. It's an unbalanced team further penalised by a bad salary situation, a lack of proper two guards, and a centre rotation of Spencer Hawes and Jason Smith that has all the defensive intensity of a playground punch-up.

They've caught an enormous break here, though.