Things are going pretty well for the Golden State Warriors after winning the 2017 NBA Championship. While the team’s two best players, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, are both free agents on July 1, there is absolutely no indication that either is even considering leaving the Bay Area for greener pastures. In fact, multiple reports indicate that Durant is likely to sign under the “early Bird” provision in the CBA, leaving the Warriors with the ability to stay above the salary cap and make things easier with regard to signing role players like Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.
With that in mind, Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News indicates that a plan might already be in place with regard to Iguodala and his annual salary moving forward.
Iguodala has already indicated that his negotiation is almost already done and that he will re-sign with the Warriors, though I’m sure there are still deal points to be finalized.
Months ago a source indicated to me that the only real issue to be worked out was the number of guaranteed years.
It should come as no surprise that details are still being ironed out but, if the report is accurate, Golden State is ahead of the game in moving toward a deal with Iguodala. At this point, no one doubts the value of Iguodala as a defensive player and he has always been underrated on the offensive end as a secondary creator that can space the floor well enough to maintain top-end performance when paired with elite talent. However, there is at least some concern with his aging curve because, at the age of 33, Iguodala has visibly battled with physical ailments, including during the Warriors’ title run.
Could the Warriors offer him a four-year contract? Absolutely. With that said, Golden State’s luxury tax bill could become rather crazy in the near future and it would be in the best interest of the organization to lock up Iguodala for a potentially more lucrative deal on an annual basis while keeping the length of the contract to a two-to-three year number. At this point, everyone seems to believe that the deal is very likely to happen and there might be a number already in place. The years do matter, though, and that will be a big point of emphasis in the coming weeks.
