Lakers' LeBron James Says Andre Iguodala's 'Championship DNA' Makes Heat Better

LeBron James believes the Miami Heat will get a good boost from the acquisition of Andre Iguodala.

"I saw it and I was like, 'OK,'" James said Thursday, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. "I think it makes them a better team because of his championship DNA, you add that to that championship culture down there. So it helps them right away. ... I know that 'Dre is happy to be suiting it back up."

Iguodala had been sitting out all season after his trade from the Golden State Warriors to the Memphis Grizzlies, but he was reportedly traded Thursday in a six-player deal that also included Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The Heat have already showed they can be a contender in the East this season behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, entering Thursday fourth in the conference with a 34-16 record.

Head coach Eric Spoelstra also knows how to work with talent after leading a team with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to back-to-back titles in 2012-13.

The "championship culture" just added another player who knows how to win in Iguodala, who helped the Warriors reach the NBA finals in five straight years, winning three titles in this span. While he mostly came off the bench, he was a key part of the title runs on both ends of the court and won Finals MVP in 2015.

He spent much of that time defending LeBron during the battles against the Cleveland Cavaliers, clearly gaining his respect in the process.

Miami already had a deep rotation with six players averaging at least 12 points per game. Adding Iguodala and Jae Crowder could make the team even more dangerous for the rest of the year.

Though the Milwaukee Bucks should remain the favorite in the Eastern Conference, James realizes the Heat shouldn't be counted out.