Nigerian-born slam-dunk star, Andre Iguodala is still anxiously awaiting a resolution of his transfer, several days after the new season began in USA’s National Basketball Association (NBA) league, with Memphis Grizzlies stalling on selling him to any of his suitors, megasportsarena.com reports.
Dallas Mavericks are said to be in the lead to snatch the former American national team star, while Los Angeles Lakers are holding out for a free-agent deal, both of which The Grizzlies are still dragging feet over, despite repeated reports indicating that they actually want to a trade.
Memphis are thinking of the best possible deal for the veteran Iguodala, but so far no team has been interested in sending them a first-round pick in replacement, even if they waive their fee on the star, which Lakers are not even thinking about and Dallas are also uneasy over.
A report by NBC Sport added in part: “The Los Angeles Lakers (the reported frontrunners) are waiting for Memphis to buy out Iguodala after the trade deadline so they can sign him as a free agent. (Other teams, including the Clippers and Rockets, are interested, too.)
“The NBA trade window meaningfully opens up December 15 when most players signed this summer can be added to deals, however, it generally takes the pressure of the trade deadline to get deals done. We do know Dallas and the Grizzlies had some talks about Iguodala after he was traded by Golden State to Memphis last July (in what was a cost-cutting move for the Warriors).
“Nothing came of them, but it makes sense that the sides have kept the lines of communication open. This is how NBA deals generally get done, over a long stretch of time. We also know that no serious talks are going on right now around this trade (or really any other).
“Iguodala makes some sense for Dallas as a defender in a playoff push. The Mavericks have the best offense in the NBA so far behind the leap Luka Doncic made this season, but their defense is pedestrian. That’s not going to get them far in the postseason. Iguodala can help on that end.
“If Dallas wants him, they are going to have to trade for him. If Iguodala is with Memphis after the trade deadline, a buyout becomes highly likely, followed by a quick trip to Los Angeles.
“Ultimately, that means if another team outside L.A. has interest in Iguodala for the rest of this season, they are going to have to trade for him. Some executives around the league think that team could be Dallas, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said in a video on their site.
“One place is shaping up as a possibility as you talk to executives out there. That is the Dallas Mavericks. Executives believe the Mavericks are a team that we should watch when it comes to the Andre Iguodala landing spot. They have a tradable contract in Courtney Lee, and extra second-round picks they could potentially use to get Memphis interested.”
