Andre Iguodala Responds to Critics of Grizzlies Situation amid Trade Rumors

Though some are upset Andre Iguodala hasn't reported to the Memphis Grizzlies since his offseason trade, the veteran sees it as a good business decision, via Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN:

"I think when the athlete takes control of his business, it's looked at differently than when a so-called businessman is running his business. A businessman says, 'I want to make this play, because this is what I'm trying to do,' and the response is, 'Oh, that is a very smart business transaction,' But when an athlete says, 'This is what I prefer to do,' the reaction is different."

The Grizzlies have been seeking a trade before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, but Iguodala will reportedly sit out the entire year if he's not dealt, per David Aldridge of The Athletic.

The 36-year-old's would-be teammates unsurprisingly have taken offense to his actions.

"A guy that's on our team doesn't want to be on our team," Dillon Brooks said on Monday, via ESPN. "I can't wait until we find a way to trade him so we can play him, and I can show him what really Memphis is about."

Star rookie Ja Morant seemingly agreed with the sentiment:

While the Grizzlies had low expectations entering the year after going 33-49 last season, the young team has impressed with a 25-25 record entering Wednesday, good enough for the eighth and last playoff spot in the Western Conference at the moment.

However, Iguodala doesn't see his actions as a snub against his current team.

The 15-year veteran spent his past six years with the Golden State Warriors, winning three titles and reaching the NBA Finals five times. The 2015 Finals MVP averaged career lows in points (5.7) and minutes per game (23.2) last season. He signed a three-year deal in 2017 to remain with the squad before surprisingly being dealt in a salary dump after Kevin Durant left in free agency.

The 6'6" forward hopes to work out an amicable deal with the Grizzlies.

"It's never been, 'I don't want to be there,'" Iguodala said. "It's, 'let's have the conversations in terms of what it looks like going forward. How can I be a value to you? How can you be a value to me? And then how can we make that happen?'"

The pressure is now on Memphis to make a deal to get any value out of him this season.