The Warriors are in dire search of a veteran playmaker who can help guide a young second unit next season. In a perfect world, they would love a player in the mold of former Warriors wing Andre Iguodala.
One name that has come up recently as a potential option to much intrigue has been, well, Andre Iguodala.
Is a reunion actually feasible? It's not as simple as most assume.
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Iguodala signed a two-year, $30 million contract with the Miami Heat last season, with the second year of the deal being a club option for $15 million. At 37 years old, Iguodala is not the same player that Warriors fans had come to adore, putting up career-lows in points per game, field goal percentage and assists.
However, like the Andre of old, he held a veteran leadership role with the team, and even remained relatively healthy for a majority of the season, playing in 63 games and averaging about 21 minutes per contest.
It seems like the Heat would certainly decline his $15 million option considering his lackluster production, right? Well not so fast.
The Heat will most likely be aggressive in the offseason, adding pieces to continue their ascension in the Eastern Conference. Depending on their strategy, there is a scenario where the Heat pick up Iguodala's club option, and use it as a salary slot for a trade situation. There can be great value in a $15 million expiring contract, and the Heat will have to gauge if there is a market that could develop in which that salary could be useful.
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Should the Heat pick up his option, then the only chance the Warriors would have to eventually reunite with Iguodala would be after a possible contract buyout with a new team, or simply waiting another season until he is a free agent.
If the Heat were to decline Iguodala's option and he were to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, the Warriors assuredly would be interested. Iguodala most likely would have quite a few offers on the table, and it is fair to assume some will be more lucrative than what the Warriors can sign him for, which is the taxpayer mid-level exception for just under $6 million.
On the flip side, Bob Myers and Co. would have to decide if Iguodala would be a big enough roster upgrade to use their most valuable free agent resource.
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Other scenarios exist in which the Warriors could offer Iguodala part of their midlevel exception, which would be above the standard veteran minimum rate. And it is almost a certainty that the Warriors would be elated if they could attain his services on the minimum.
At the tail end of a potential Hall of Fame career, should Iguodala become a free agent, he will be able to decide what is best for his future. He has earned his opportunity to make as much money as possible before he hangs them up, but also could decide he wants to give it one last go-around with the Dubs and return to where he resides in the offseason.
But before those options arise, the first step will be awaiting the Heat's decision.