NBA Trade Rumors: Why Andre Iguodala is the Perfect Fit for the LA Lakers

There have been NBA trade rumors swirling around Andre Iguodala, and several potential scenarios have him landing in Los Angeles before the start of next season.

While we first heard of a reported swap of Iguodala for Chris Kaman of the Los Angeles Clippers, more recent reports have the veteran small forward heading to the Lakers in a deal headlined by Lamar Odom.

No. 9 would certainly look very good in the Lakers' purple and gold, and he may be exactly what the team has been searching for as it attempts to remain a championship favorite moving forward.

* Pictured is a mock of how we imagine Andre Iguodala looking in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform.

Lakers Need to Make a Deal

The Lakers were surprisingly swept out of the postseason by the Dallas Mavericks, and by the end of the series, it became frightfully obvious that a change was necessary.

The two-time defending champions looked tired, old, uninterested and were consistently beaten in every aspect of the game by a team that simply wanted it more.

There is a lot of talent on the Los Angeles roster, but that's not all it takes to win a title.

Lamar Odom is the most attractive trade chip that the Lakers have at their disposal when sitting at the negotiating table, and they would be wise to dangle him in an effort to land a bona fide star.

Andre Iguodala and Kobe Bryant Share Same Agent

When the Odom-for-Iguodala talks broke down, it was reported that agent Rob Pelinka was behind the efforts all along in an attempt to get one of his clients to a bigger stage.

Pelinka has some notable clients in the league, but his most well-known is superstar Kobe Bryant, which certainly adds an interesting wrinkle to this saga.

The agent obviously feels that the Lakers would represent a good landing spot for Iguodala to revamp his value as a top-tier player in the league, and one has to wonder whether he asked No. 24 how receptive he was to the idea of potentially playing alongside the small forward.

Lakers Need to Start Thinking About Life After Kobe Bryant

After news came out that Bryant underwent a PRP-like treatment on his knee in Germany a little over a month ago, it's clear that the superstar is looking for unorthodox ways to extend his playing career.

With more than 1,300 career games played (including postseason) over a 15-season span, it's fairly obvious that Bryant's condition is only going to worsen as time moves forward.

There is a lot of tread on those tires, and a healthy set of knees on Bryant is going to be critical if the Lakers want to win another championship before his tenure in the league runs out.

Defense

Andre Iguodala's defense is largely unappreciated by the majority of casual fans, but his intensity and grit on that side of the ball would be a welcome addition to the Los Angeles team.

New head coach Mike Brown is known as a defensive guru, and his emphasis to become a better defensive club is the right one to take as the Lakers look to reclaim their spot on top of the league.

Iguodala has a career average of 1.8 steals per game, while Lamar Odom's sits at just 0.9. Although that might not seem like much of a difference, all it takes is one strong defensive play in order to alter the momentum of a close contest completely.

Anchor Second Unit

Although Odom has been seamless in his transition between roles for the Lakers, he hasn't proven to be a leader in the second unit, and that's what the club sorely needs.

Even if Ron Artest were willing to move to the bench for Iguodala's arrival, the versatile small forward would prove to be a greater asset off the bench, where he could serve as head of the pack for a group of reserves that needs someone to take control.

Iguodala has the ability to pass, rebound and score at will, and there's no doubt that he'd have a much easier time creating opportunities for his teammates than Odom.

Age

Although four years isn't much of a difference on paper, Iguodala (27) and Odom (31) represent a major difference in age on the basketball court.

While Iggy still has the potential to improve on his game, Odom is not going to suddenly blossom into a better player than we've seen from him over the last few seasons.

It should be interesting to see if age becomes a decisive factor in the next wave of Lakers transactions, as they desperately need an injection of both youth and athleticism.

Wouldn't Need an Upgrade at Point Guard

The pairing of veteran point guards Derek Fisher and Steve Blake did not turn out as the club anticipated in 2010-11, and the primary emphasis this offseason is getting more production from that spot.

However, neither player is going to draw anything of value on the trade market, so the team might have to get a little creative as to how it improves the position.

The addition of Iguodala would allow the club to put the ball in his hands on a regular basis, and the Lakers would be wise to pursue the point forward in an effort to relieve some of the pressure of facilitating the offensive flow from the shoulders of their underwhelming point guards.