Andre Iguodala Joked Warriors Would Trade Him to Grizzlies Before Actual Deal
Few predicted Andre Iguodala would've ended up with the Memphis Grizzlies after a wild offseason in the NBA, but the veteran forward apparently had a gut feeling it would happen.
Iguodala recently described a text conversation with his wife that occurred after Kevin Durant left in free agency for the Brooklyn Nets, via Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area:
"So, I’m texting my wife, telling her I’ll probably get traded because I think it’s 100 percent sure, even though everyone else is saying, it’s only a chance. Then, once KD (Kevin Durant) left, I’m like, 'Yeah, I’ll probably get traded. They’re probably going to do a sign-and-trade, so they can get something back, to at least get assets for him.' No one was thinking that. But I was thinking they’ll want to get assets back because they can’t just let him go. And they’ll probably move me as well. So, she asked me where I thought I would go. I said, 'I don’t know, I’ll probably end up in Memphis or some s--t.'
"She says, 'For real?' I was like, 'Maybe. But probably not. I don’t know.'
"The next day, I got the message. It was Memphis. I fell out laughing."
Iguodala was sent to the Grizzlies in July along with a first-round pick in exchange for Julian Washburn, a move that was mostly used to clear salary. The veteran is set to make more than $17 million next season.
The 35-year-old had been a key part of the Warriors core prior to the trade, appearing in 413 games over six seasons. He helped the team take home three NBA titles in a span of four years, winning Finals MVP in 2015.
Moving to the Grizzlies could be a significant change considering the squad has 1,000-1 odds to win a title in 2019-20, per Caesars.
Though there have been question marks about how Iguodala would fit on a rebuilding team, Memphis has refused to negotiate a buyout, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
"We'll see," Iguodala said about his future with the Grizzlies, per Poole. "OK, maybe I shouldn't say we'll see. But we're trying to figure out things on both sides."
It appears he will remain in Memphis for now, but at least the deal that sent him there wasn't completely unexpected.
